Frugal Fare #5: The Bellwoods Bar & Grill

Location:
756 Queen St W., Toronto

Cost: Under $10 for breakfast

It's almost refreshing to find a place in TO that doesn't cater to all your dietary concerns (ie. lactose-free and/or soy milk, gluten-free what-have-you).
It's plain white or brown bread.

Milk or cream.

Sausages or bacon.
That's what was so perfect about spotting the "ALL-DAY BREAKFAST" sign while driving around the Queen/King street area at 9am on Sunday in the search for breakfast.

ALL DAY BREAKFAST!

Peter Pan was closed, Brant Street Cafe was closed, Fusaro's was closed. Everything was either closed or only opened at 10:30am for brunch.  The key was to find a place that served coffee.

So the "ALL-DAY BREAKFAST" sign was that much better.

The interior

Bellwood owner Tom Koulias has been in business for 40 years!

The first thing on the menu was simply: FOUR eggs with toast, bacon and potatoes.

DONE!

I believe French toast might have been the second thing on the menu.

"I am so happy right now."

FOUR eggs with bacon!

Ma French Toast!

BUTTER! Awesome.

Heavily buttered goodness!

COFFEE

We like to mix it up

There's a "Help Wanted" sign....any takers?

Over Easy & The Coffee Mill

Locations:

Over Easy 208 Bloor Street West, Toronto

www.overeasyrestaurants.com

Coffee Mill 99 Yorkville Ave, Toronto

www.coffeemillrestaurant.com

Our girlie gatherings usually revolve around food;  specifically, brunch!  What better way to start the day.

This time, our choice brunch location was Over Easy since the plan was to check out the latest addition to the ROM (mainly, The Lee-Chin Crystal addition) after brunch.

I think it's quite safe to say that brunch is easily unscrew-up-able.    Am I right?

And while nothing was screwed per se, there was certainly nothing memorable about eating there (except for the company).

I do have one gripe, however.

My tea was lukewarm.

I truly dislike a lukewarm tea which brings to mind A Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams where he describesa perfect proper cup of tea.

I've noticed lukewarm tea all over the city - ya know, that "hot" water from that hot water machine just doesn't cut it.

Anyway, here's some of what was eaten.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="Eggs and chicken sausage $6.99"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="604" caption="Spanish Omelette $9.99"][/caption]

I must say, the pots that the hot drinks came in were  loads of fun!

After a blustery walk from the ROM, all we wanted was a warm hideout and a hot drink to warm up our hands.

Starbucks was full, and the next best idea was the Lettieri but before we made it there, we found The Coffee Mill!

Interior of The Coffee Mill

Nestled within the shops at 99 Yorkville is the quaint old (est. 1963!) hideaway for just these types of gatherings.   The pastry selection got us all salivating, so a chocolate cake and an apple (or was it rhubarb ?) strudel, it was.

Chocolate Cake

Strudel

Interior

As far as copy coffee shops go, this one has the cosy part down pat.

Beer Bistro

Location:

18 King E., Toronto,

www.beerbistro.com

Was hyped to go to Beer Bistro having heard so many great things about the huge selection of beer etc etc etc...



And I have to say, although the beers were good and the selection massive...we were a tad disappointed with the food. We went for brunch and everything looked fantastic and our service was excellent.



There just wasn't anything overly fantastic about the meal.  Definitely not the place for brunch, but yes to after work drinks, me thinks.

So here's what we shared for brunch.  Some appley-type fritters...



Gorgeous presentation, but not outstanding flavour.

Eggs benedict sandwich, something something.   Disappointing.



Certainly had interesting beers...we got a taster ($6 for any 3).





We thought the interior looked like a rock climbing gym...funny blue coloured ceiling with holes in it, stuccoed walls and lights that look like hanging harnesses....

Or maybe we'd just had too much to drink...

It IS called Beer Bistro and not Brunch Bistro for a reason.  Go for the drinks.

Starving Artist

Location:
584 Lansdowne Ave, Toronto

Cost: $9-10 per breakfast entree

www.starvingartistbar.com

What better way to end (and start) a year than to brunch?

First, there was the 31st.

Upon the suggestion of a friend, our annual xmas reunion, of sorts, took place at Starving Artist, one of the few places open for brunch on New Years Eve (they were very accommodating with our large-ish group, and open at 10am, which was a bonus for our schedule that day).

In a highly residential area, just north of Bloor on Lansdowne, sits the Starving Artist, with all of the ambiance of a Queen West indie bar, it's a non-commission-taking gallery/performance space/restaurant/bar.

Interior

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="340" caption="Waffle Benny $9"][/caption]

The Waffle Benny, wonderfully presented and heartily enjoyed by those who ordered it.

The Hitchhiker [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="340" caption="The Hitchhiker $10"][/caption]0

The Hitchhiker, what I ordered - Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar – 4 Pieces of Caramelized Bacon – 2 Mini Waffles (Upgrade to Waffled Bacon for $2 extra)

Of course I upgraded, but instead they gave me the regular waffles (a mistake I am certainly NOT complaining about because to make up for it they gave me a complimentary side of waffled bacon).

Focusing on the caramelized bacon...

Not only was the regular bacon out of this world, I was very happy with the waffled bacon, as well. Perfect combination of sweet and salty, which is my weakness.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="Side of Waffled Bacon $5 – served with Maple Syrup"][/caption]

All the dishes come with salad and fresh fruit

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="Chicken Bacon Club $9"][/caption]

Chicken bacon club, with Havarti, Secret Sauce and Cucumbers - possibly not such a hit with my friend C who didn't finish her meal...*okay, she says it was good, but she was just too full from the 3am crepes she'd devoured a few hours earlier!*

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="340" caption="Breakfast Waffle $9"][/caption]

The Breakfast Waffle - two poached eggs, two potato waffles and caramelized bacon, the bacon can be substituted with avacado, was tasty, but likely better with bacon..just my humble opinion.

My Earl Grey cup through Hobography's tilt-shift lens

(Mine was not a very good attempt at using the tilt-shift lens, see far more impressive examples on Hobography's blog)

Cappuccino "Cappuccino $3.50".50

According to my coffee enthusiast friends, their Americanos/espressos/ cappuccinos (supposed specialties of the joint) weren't strong enough. Also, the draft in the back area of the bar, that we all felt, quickly cooled down our hot drinks.

So there you have it.

Dark and drafty, Starving Artist is like a beer...only, waffled.

Definitely worth a try especially if you're near the area.

Oatmeal!

If you're looking for some good ol' fashioned hot oatmeal in the city on these cold mornings, Le Gourmand's Irish Oatmeal with berries and maple syrup, is $4.50 +tax and is big enough to share between two.

Today's came with strawberries and bananas (instead of blueberries) and raisins.

Stoney's

Location:

323 Kerr Street, Oakville

Cost: Sunday Brunch approx $9 per entree

After all the hoopla and hype over Stoney's; we finally made it for brunch on Sunday and I have to tell you...I am a little bit disappointed.

Okay, so you stand in line, make your order, get a number, pick up your own drinks, seat yourself and your food is brought to you. I get it guys, I get it. But I have to ask why.



Why must you make your own tea/coffee and gingerly navigate your way to a table through the throngs of seated patrons? Perhaps even spilling some hot tea on the way to the outdoor patio? I feel that if I have to make my own tea standing at the milk/sugar counter in a restaurant on a Sunday morning, I might as well have stayed at home and done the same. Likewise, having to clear dirty utensils from the table shouldn't be on my morning list of things to do...at a restaurant. And if you're already getting the food brought to your table; why don't they just take orders at the table?

Also, running out of soy milk/lactose free-milk is not really acceptable when you're only open from 9am to 3pm on Sunday.

Our meals took a very long time to arrive (and we came after the breakfast crowd) that by the time they did arrive our hot drinks were cold and there were no offers made for refills. And while the service is friendly, we still had to call out for clean utensils to our server as she walked away after plunking our plates down (without even a glance) and also requested salt and pepper which was forgotten until we asked a second time. We also had to return to the front counter to remind them about the forgotten banana bread we'd ordered (more on the taste of the banana bread later).

So, before you get your underpants in a knot, let me just say that I don't consider myself a brunch snob although I am somewhat of a French toast connoisseur having cooked variations of it myself since I was, maybe twelve, and with it usually being my sole order at breakfast/brunch places all over, I can confidently say this:

The French Toast at Stoney's is just...okay.

On the positive (or maybe for some, negative) side, it is massive. The presentation is nice and the price is good for that much French toast. The plate was literally stacked with three huge slabs of bread. I say bread because it was literally too thick for the eggy-ness to fully penetrate the bready centre.



I dislike cutting into French toast only to find dry bread staring back at me. Admittedly the coating of brown sugar and cinnamon was tasty, but it wasn't enough coating and the too few fruits (although I did like the surprise of star fruit) on top of the mountainous "slabic" toast and teeny cup of maple syrup on the side was simply unjustly proportioned to the bread. However, I will happily admit that the side of bacon I got was perfection, although it's hard to screw up strips of fried pork.



The frittata was good...I'm hugely into artichokes so that part was great. Ordering egg whites didn't make it any less greasy...(this coming from someone who ordered bacon on the side, I know) and the mixed greens salad might have been better with the dressing on the side, but I suppose we should have ordered it that way.



Lastly, having to brush away the wasps and flies at our table (even before the food came, likely because the table hadn't been cleaned before we sat down) we had to eat quickly when our food finally did arrive. Argh, certainly not very relaxing the way a Sunday brunch should be.

And that home-made banana bread ($2.50) I told you about earlier? Don't do it. Absolutely no banana taste and oily to the core. No nuts even! Possibly the worst banana bread ever (best banana bread is still the one from the road-side stall in Maui).



There you have it guys...Foodhogger's Stoney's experience.

Undoubtedly some people's favourite joint to brunch, but overall, I'm not a fan of the system they have there...too much work involved for a lazy Sunday morning. Perhaps I'd go again for a sandwich or pizza at lunch where their cafeteria system would work. It's a good thing it's in the 'burbs...a place like Stoney's wouldn't survive in the city on that sort of system. Fusaro's in Toronto also has a cafeteria style system, but it's during the week and for lunch...they know better for brunch on the weekend...it's full table service; just how people want to eat on a Sunday, otherwise what's different than cooking up some french toast at home?

By The Way Cafe Round 2

Location:

400 Blor St West, Toronto


Cost: Approx $20

www.bythewaycafe.com

Recently went to BTWC again for a friend's birthday brunch gathering.

The french toast stuffed with apples and brie sat very well with the birthday girl.



(I ordinarily flock towards french toast, but can't do brie and didn't feel like regular french toast that day - *gasp* I know).

Instead, I ordered the omelette with chorizo, jalapenos and onions (minus the cheddar). I still can't believe it comes with a Montreal bagel, too!



I was really glad for the spicy chorizo and jalepenos in the omelette 'cause otherwise it was lacking a bit of something...some herbs? Thyme? Oregano? The other girls who ordered omelettes said the same of their omelettes..that it was missing a little somethin'.

My friend ordered the burrito...which was quite good although again, needed a little hot sauce in my humble opinion.



My veg friend who couldn't eat eggs that day was at a loss of what to order that didn't have eggs in it...waffles would have been a better choice than the baba ganough that she ordered with pita. As an appetizer shared between..many...it would have been great, but as a meal for one it faired well below average and the eggplant tasted a bit burnt or if you'd rather, overly smoked. A definite disappointment.

Something a little more veg friendly for breakfast instead of salad and other more lunchy-type options would be better. Possibly the waffles are the only thing that qualified in this case.

The OJ, on the other hand, was splendid.

And the cheesecake seemed to be a hit amongst the others.



Looks like the baba ganough isn't deflecting the customers at all; BTWC is a much happening place...with a constant stream of patrons flowing in and out. With their lovely, sunny patio and friendly service, it surely is a nice brunch spot in the Annex.

By the Way Cafe

I'm sorry, but this place is just begging for a text message review.

Something like this perhaps?

~

Loc:

400 Blor St W, TO



BTW, i wn 2 dis plc on Blr St W 4 brnch 1 Sat morn aftr yoga cls & ws plsntly surpsd by da cozy atmsphr & frndly srvic. Da scrmbld egs totly hit da spot.



but OMG u guyz Twngns Erl Gry rely sux!



~

Going to BTWC again this Saturday for a friend's birthday breakfast...will post more on that soon.

Fusaro's Kitchen

Location:

147 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Cost: $10-15 for lunch

www.fusaros.com

This is a long overdue post; I guess because it's such a frequented lunch spot for me that I simply thought I was having a home-cooked meal at times!

If you don't get there by 11:45am at the latest, be prepared to wait in a long line up that runs out the door!



The pre-made pizzas, sandwiches, quiches etc are all very good - a pizza slice will only set you back a few dollars and is way better than Mama's Pizza. I really like the croissant with chicken, olives and feta (a bit o' cheese never hurt anyone)...although it's a tad salty.



The panini's and pastas are made to order and add $2 for a side salad...



Their daily specials are listed on the fairly new blackboard on the side (Fusaro's has undergone some interior design changes in the last couple of years - going from orange walls with black and white photography to plain blue walls with the menus on blackboards - for a more minimalist look or realistically, more spatially accommodating for the sheer volume of the lunchtime crowd.



I've had many a pasta dish here and I have never had a bad experience.



I have heard from my yoga instructor however, that she gained weight eating the salads here (So, note to self, and to you reader). It's all that dressing - which they actually do put a bit too much of .

I even hosted a birthday brunch here a few years ago (the Evite was aptly titled: "Let's get some f*****ckiin freeeeeench toast" a la 40 year old Virgin).



Someone else got the calabrese, like so:



Salmon & eggs:



Eggs florentin:



Not a lot of people know about the brunch on Saturday, but it's lovely and not at all like the cafeteria-style-lunch-time atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is just as good :)

Lola's Commissary

Location:

634 Church Street, Toronto

Cost: Approx $25 pp

www.lolascommissary.com

I think seeing "sexy potatoes" on their online menu (although I think it's actually "sexy sweet potatoes"  on the menu) is what sold us to eat here. That, and the recommendation from a friend at work whose paintings also hang in the restaurant :)
Our gaggling girlie troupe landed on the (beautiful) Lola patio for brunch this past Sunday and never before have we been able to so freely enjoy a brunch in such a large group (8).  Mil"dread"'s wouldn't seat us, other brunch places don't take brunch reservations but at Lola's Commissary (open 6 weeks, now), it's not a problem. 



We took a while perusing the unique menu and daily specials which were such a mix of dishes that we had to take another few minutes to decide. 



 In the meantime we got some drinks...


The service is friendly and accommodating. The food is fancy brunch fare (a tad pricey but tasty to boot) and gorgeously presented!

As usual I got the (straight up - challah bread dipped in egg custard) french toast due to my loctose-intolerancy and not being able to stomach the cheesecake french toast.  I also got a side of fresh fruit ($6) and a side of sexy potatoes to share around ($6).



The other items ordered were as follows.

Multigrain waffles with a side of berries, dense and filling...



The egg white frittata (goat cheese, mushrooms, spinach and hemp pesto)

 

Eggs Lola: poached eggs, ancho chicken, torillas, avocado, creme fraiche



Lobster and goat cheese omlette



Roasted trout with quinoa and tabouli



 Beef hash brunch feature

 

Therese DeGrace (executive chef) came out to greet us which was super. She's wonderfully warm and took the time to chat with us, which was really pleasant and so uncommon in the city!


The interior of Lola's is sort of industrial chic with brick, wood, high ceilings and tall windows. 



The paintings in the dining hall lend a certain mellow sweetness to the vibe with the upstairs catering to more of a loungey atmosphere with funky retro seats and laminated fantastical art on the walls.



Even the washrooms are spa-like and immaculate, with artwork adorning almost every surface (including a wall outside the restaurant).



The complimentary Nutella Cheesecake dessert was delish and perfect split eight ways.


Lola's is a definite must-try in the Bay/Bloor area - the patio alone will make you want to spend your whole afternoon there. We certainly did! And unlike so many other places in the city, our patronage was welcome! We're already planning our return!

Zimbel's Cafe

Location:

410 Adelaide Street West

In place of Mosaic, there now is Zimbel's Cafe! It must be hard for them to get everyone's attention being hidden away in such a quiet street as Adelaide especially with Timmy's on the other corner and Le Gourmand and Starbucks dominating the Richmond/Spadina area. However, I think business will pick up 'cause they're really good!

They've done a great job with the interior design - love the Eames furniture - and photography on the walls. They also are a catering company and cater all sorts of events from Weddings to Corporate Lunches to Film Sets and have been in the business since 1981.





(Above photo courtesy of Andrew Zimbel)

The teas are from Language of the Leaf and yummy (pricer than Le Gourmand though but it's loose-leaf and Le G is known to mix up my Earl Grey with Earl Grey Green tea and not have the water hot enough sometimes).



The food is tasty at Zimbel's, as well. From the muffins, croissants and the banana bread (with sunflower and cranberries = excellent!) to their lunch menu (I had the salad with grilled chicken once), it's all very fresh and good.

And the service, although still novice, is getting there.



Great place to try out instead of your usual coffee/tea train destination!

***My friend who recently tasted the "knee buckling" brownie had this to say about it:

"To classify its deliciousness and sugar power, I'd say it was a spectacular punch to the back of the head, kapow!" - Mack Carruthers

Wanda's Belgian Waffles

Location:

331 Yonge Street, Toronto



I love that this is called a cafe, yet there's barely enough standing room for two! Meant to be more of a street vendor (order through the window) this little 'cafe' serves up the best waffles I've ever had from the street! Forget morning breakfasts and brunches, you can pick up a tasty hot waffle after a horrible dinner at Salad King and be totally content.



Run by a father and son team:



I've read some complaints about the sanitary conditions of the joint (not washing hands after taking money) but when we went and as you can see in the pics, gloves were worn throughout.



Sure it's a bit messy and gooey if you order the ice-cream and strawberries on top, or if you wait a bit too long to eat it (like in our case but still damn tasty!):





I'd say it's a marvellous way to grab a fun treat split between friends!

TRAVEL: Palm Beach, Hamburger Heaven

Location:

314 South Country Road, Palm Beach, Florida

Cost: $25 for two

Hamburger Heaven is a cute little diner in Palm Beach and one of two places suggested to us to get breakfast in the area - I'm sure there are more joints to grab freshly squeezed OJ, but HH was super close to our hotel and the beach which made it perfect.

We didn't make it in time for breakfast the first day...missed it by more than a few hours (breakfast is served until 11am and we were there around 3!), but our lunch consisted of what we considered to be makeshift breakfast dishes...ie. quiche (eggs and spinach) and fruits!

It was gloooooooooorious!!!! Ta DA!





And we thought we'd try the special of the day - Blackened tilapia on salad....my oh my was it ever delush! SO glad we missed breakfast! It was the perfect 3pm meal!



We did make it in time for french toast and eggs the next day though! And they remembered us and sat us in the same booth - so sweet! The service was amazing, they didn't make any fuss seating us in a booth even though there were just two of us and even though they had a lineup later for lunch with groups of four waiting. It just reminded me of horrible Mildred's Temple Kitchen and their huge a** fuss of seating us!

We had freshly squeezed OJ (how could you not?). Omg you guys, soooo good!



The eggs, toast, side of potatoes and....bacon....



I always get french toast for breakfast...and these were tasty (I have to admit Testa's was better, though especially with their serving of fruit on the top) but I was loving the giant Texas style toast.



The breakfast was all very good but I think it's called hamburger heaven for a reason and we really wanted to come back for one of their burgers but they were closed on Sunday, our last day there! Oh well, next time for the hamburger! We ended up jokingly calling this place Hamburger Helper but it truly is a little taste of heaven.

Truscott Italian Bakery and Deli

Location:

2425 Truscott Dr, Mississauga ON

I'm sure you will agree, there's nothing quite like freshly baked bread; the smell, the taste, the warmth, it's all so very good! 

I definitely heart bakeries. When I was growing up there was a lovely little bakery called Hot n' Crusty where the breads were baked fresh every morning; it was always such a treat to go there.

Recently we discovered Truscott Italian Bakery & Deli - a quaint little bakery right in the middle of a parking lot on the border of Oakville/Mississauga. It's been there only eight years yet it appears as though the parking lot was built around it.



I imagine though, that the past eight years have been enormously successful judging from the steady stream of customers at 8 in the morning! 



The cappuccino on the patio sounded like a great idea!



The breads! Rows of crusty, floured, multigrained loaves.  I wanted to try them all...and in due time I will, but to begin....we got some fresh buns, croissants, and this:



Spacatelli....which I've never had before, but which was undeniably fresh (and still warm!!!).

The trays of muffins, pies, cookies and pastries were astounding!

 



I've yet to try their hot-table items, but I got their mini cakes/tarts for a tea party recently and they not only looked pretty they were pretty delectable, too.



Then there's their deli meat counter which boasts a variety of European meats, the huge selection of pastas (I recently purchased some corn pasta [gluten free] and added to it the all natural Mediterranean Garden's "fiery hot arrabiata" pasta sauce, which was fantastic), fancy imported drinks (lemonades and juices), farmed fresh eggs, and of course a massive collection of olives and olive oils!  Heaven!

With our morning breakfast made complete with the addition of a divine "elephant ear" - stuffed full of chocolate - we were ready to start the weekend!



I'm sure many start their weekends this way and I for one can't wait to do it again!