Happy Valentimes: Butler's Pantry

Location:

591 Markham St. Mirvish Village, Toronto, ON

Cost: $28 incl tip

www.butlerspantry.ca

How fitting a name for a place that serves everything that could possibly exist in a Pantry!  (On a side note: A butler's pantry was commonly used for the storing, cleaning and counting of silver by the butler...).



Whatever the name, this cosy nook in the Annex  serves brunch until 4pm.



And forget the Butler, who's the chef?  His pantry must be huge!  There's such diversity to the 2 page menu, that we're too confused to know what to order.  There are a lot of indian inspired dishes which made us question who the chef was.  Apparently the owner is from Bangladesh and married to an Egyptian lady and they hired a chef who was working in a palace in Egypt!  He must have been well versed in international foods 'cause although the brunch side of the menu is simple...Eggs Bene, French Toast, Omlettes, Scrambled Eggs, Scones....it's the other side that amazes us: Bul go gi, Tandoori penne, Biryani, Seafood Quiche, Jambalaya, Khowsway (a Burmese dish) , Shepherd's Pie, Veggie curry pie, Moroccan Veg Tajine!  And the list goes on...with loooooads of vegetarian options included!  It's incredible...we wanted to order it all! 

We especially wanted to try the Zuchini pancake but learned they were out of it but our server also confided that she enjoys it paired with a beer as a greasy pub meal since it's very similar to potato pancakes (latkes).   Worked out well then 'cause I don't like latkes.

We finally decide on the chicken bastilla pie and the french toast.

Another thing to note is that the main dishes (except for a select few) are served with a fresh garden salad and Butler's famous dressing (pictured below).



Also, and as you know by now, a must for me is an Earl Grey tea, which arrives in a lovely ceramic teapot.  The loose-leaf bagged ORGANA tea is divine...almost candy-like in its sweetness.



It doesn't take long at all for our food to arrive! 

The Butler's French Toast at $7.25 (side of bacon - $1.25) is a steal!  Such a humongous portion ; it's ideal for sharing.  It comes with two thick slices of bread, a generous helping of fresh fruit and dallops of whipped cream.  The toast is not at all soggy even though the maple syrup has already been drizzled on top.  It's just the perfect consistancy.  A must for anyone who, like me, loves french toast. 



The Chicken Bastilla Pie is a popular order and we wanted to try their version of the famous Moroccan dish - which is pastry stuffed with chicken, omlette, cinnamon & almonds.  For $10.25, it's a hearty meal for one; which we split into two.  It was very tasty, albeit on the salty side.  Traditionally the cinnamon appears on the top of the pie along with powdered sugar...but in this case it was incorporated into the filling, which was nice but altogether a bit too "cinnamony". 



The salad it came with really balanced out the saltiness of the pie and the "Butler's Famous Dressing" was fantastic!

 

Looking more like a gravy than a dressing, it had a nice sharp taste to it and paired really nicely with the onions in the salad. 

The next time you're strolling around the Annex, keep the Butler's Pantry in mind.   

Zoe's Bakery Cafe

Location:

548 King Street West, Toronto

Cost: $8.50 average

www.zoesbakerycafe.ca

A great girls get-together should revolve around (I think) good food and drink....if those two components aren't there, it's almost as if one of your girlfriends is washing her hair.

Our plan was to meet at Zoe's for lunch and despite the TTC strike everyone was able to make it out (mostly thanks to my considerate friend and her fancy new wheels).

Zoe's is on King street near Brant; it's hard to miss the giant black signage on the front and side of the cafe.



During the summer climate bright red umbrellas line the sidewalk in front of the cafe, under which enthusiastic patrons munch on enormous gourmet sandwiches and hearty salads.



Being slightly lower than ground level, the interior of Zoe's is dimly lit although there is enough light streaming in through the many windows to make you feel warm and cosy. For a quick bite during the week there are round tables and high chairs in the front room and for longer, leisurely lunches there is additional seating to the right of the counter. Further down the hallway is a giant conference room (not pictured) for lunch meetings as well.



If you're not one to break out in goosebumps at the slight bite of something cold, you'll enjoy biting into the sandwiches at Zoe's. I, for one, prefer my sandwiches toasted. I like toasty bread slices, melting cheese, warm grilled chicken----you get my drift.

Alas, I failed to reveal this to our server when we placed out order, so what I ended up with was a cold Cajun chicken sandwich.

CAJUN CHICKEN sandwich
house-made mango chutney, pea sprouts, citrus aioli & mixed greens on 10-grain



Don't get me wrong, it was quite tasty. The mango chutney was an especially great addition to the sandwich. If only it were hot. But, why didn't you just ask to get it toasted, you ask? Great question! Thanks for asking. I think my problem wasn't just the bread not being toasted...everything was cold. It would have had to have been microwaved (mmm....microwaved bread....) and that didn't seem much more appealing. At least we had warm chicken quesadillas!

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
filled with Cajun chicken, julienne bell peppers, red onions & cheddar



This was a hit with all of us. I think mainly because it was served hot and the cheddar had melted into a gooey mass over the chicken, pepper and onions.

AVOCADO sandwich
tomatoes, shaved granny smith apples, pesto aioli & mixed greens on 10-grain



There were no complaints from my friend who ordered this although I wouldn't be likely to order it next time as it's very close to what I made myself for lunch yesterday (but toasted, thank you very much).

CHICKEN WRAP
Cajun chicken, roasted peppers, cheddar, pesto aioli, shaved fresh apple & mixed greens



I preferred this over the cuban chicken sandwich...somehow wraps are easier to eat cold than giant sandwiches. Or maybe that's just me?

GRILLED PORTABELLO MUSHROOM sandwich
julienne roasted peppers, herbed chèvre, tomato pesto & mixed greens on 10-grain



My vegetarian friend seemed to enjoy this immensely....and 'roasted' makes me think it was warmer than my sandwich...



Zoe's has Illy coffees, a variety of teas and fresh juices (Good ol' OJ pictured here...in a bottle....which turned out to be great, actually).

For a Saturday, I expected there to be more of a lunch crowd, however the few patrons who trickled in for a sit down lunch had fully emptied out by 3pm. Our server also proved to be quite absent-minded leaving me to trek back and forth with requests for cutlery, water and finally, after she'd disappeared altogether, the bill.

Bijan Bakery and Cafe, San Jose, CA

Location:

170 S. Market St. Suite 110,
San Jose, CA

Cost: ranges from $1.50 +

www.bijanbakery.com

After a much needed breakfast at Il Fornaio, we remembered (from having passed by it the night before), that Bijan Bakery had a magnificent array of desserts and pastries and both agreed we had only enough room to share a small treat.



I don't think I have ever seen so many pastries in my life! We got there when there was hardly a line-up but we took so long to decide what we wanted (read: overwhelmed with choices) that by the time we were ready to order a line had grown.



There were chocolate chip, almond, raisin, and various other cookies, baklava, marzipan, cinnamon buns, twists, strudels, biscotti, cookies with fruit centres, mousse pastries in a variety of flavours, cream puffs, fruits tarts, cheesecakes, eclairs, chocolate covered strawberries, napoleans, tiramisu, black forest...and....so much more!



We decided upon an apple tart (boring, I know, given all the selection! But anything else would have gone to waste since we were short on time and had already over-eaten at breakfast!)



Warmed, the apple tart wasn't bad, but it didn't blow my socks off. I should have tried their specialty Princess Cake (alas, if I had been plugged to trusty ol' Chowhound I would have known to do so!) They also serve soups, salads and sandwiches!



Bijan Bakery and Cafe certainly leaves MUCH to be desired....

Caffe Greco

Address:
423 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA
www.caffegreco.com

Cost: Items range from $1.85 (water) to $7.95 (panini)

Caffe Greco was another place we had walked past on the way to Union Square with the intention of coming back.  

So, on Day 2 when we were looking for a place to have coffee, I was determined to find "the place with the posters" and we turned our noses on many other cafes in search of it, all the while ignoring our tired calves and thirsty throats.   When we finally found Caffe Greco, and squeezed into the last corner window spot, and rested our aching feet on the worn wooden floors, with this view...all our effort was without a doubt, worth it.



With high ceiling fans and art nouveau playing fancifully on the cream-coloured walls to jumbo glass canisters filled with delectable treats and an open 'book' menu behind the counter, this place embodies everything that is caffe Italia.



Around since '88, Caffe Greco serves homemade (and award-winning, according to their website) tiramisu (I'm happy to say we tried it, and it's simply the best tiramisu I've ever had!), cannoli and gelato.

 

We also had a chai caffe latte ($4.25/5.75) which is a tea AND coffee latte.....and it was absolutely heavenly...a definite MUST-HAVE if you're ever in North Beach.  My usual Earl Grey ($2.50), was divine and fared well with the large square of moist, creamy succulent tiramisu ($4.75)...it was so good, I wish the inside of my mouth were made of it!

Wooden chairs that creak with good use, illy coffee tins, leather benches and familiar wall hangings all gather together to make Caffe Greco a really warm and popular home for locals (I know it looks empty, but everyone happened to be either, out of shot, sitting outside or in the other room when I captured this photo).





Caffe Greco, I miss you. We'll be back again, someday.  If you live in SF, and haven't been....what on earth are you waiting for?  I'm so jealous.