Chapter 3. Quick Fixed
566 Words
We rail against them, but there's still something wonderful about fast foods:
those comforting instant meals that you can eat with your hands. But hamburgers and hot dogs don't always cut it. Here are our suggestions:
• As fast as you can say ena spanokopita, parakalo, the ladies behind the counter at the quarter-century-old Athens Pastries. will slice you off a warm, soft slab of filo pastry filled with salty spinach (spanokopita) or feta cheese (tiropita), fragrant with olive oil. Meanwhile, neighbourhood residents will be ordering up bigger quantities to take home for the family. Don't forget to say efharisto.
Some people call them "Shanghai Subs." Others, more accurately, call them "Saigon Subs." You can call them whatever you want, but the substantial pre-made Vietnamese cold cut sandwiches on a fresh crusty bun usually priced at $1 are a bargain by any name. They're generally garnished with lightly pickled veggies, and the servers will add fish oil and hot chili sauce unless you ask them not to. Roast pork is recommended, but, like other deluxe fillings, it usually costs an extra 50 cents. Other choices include tofu, meatball, shredded chicken, marinated tuna, and bologna-type meat. They're available at many outlets, including Banh Mi & Che Cali (318 Spadina Ave., 416-599-8948) and - right next door Banh Mi Nguyen Huong Food Co.
• Kensington Market offers almost too many munching opportunities to list, but among our favourites are the "spinagels" and "spudagels" on the cash counter at My Market Bakery (172 Baldwin St., 416-593-6772). These squashy spinach- or potato-filled treats aren't true bagels at all; they're really a rich, flaky savoury pastry. For a meatier hit, there's Jumbo Empanadas. where you can get the genuine Chilean variety, baked and stuffed with chicken and boiled egg, beef and boiled egg, or veggies.
There's also a fried empañada with cheese.
WHERE TO CLOSE A DEAL
For old-school, dimly-lit opulence, you can't beat Barberian's Steak House (7 Elm St., 416-597-0335). Located moments from the seats of Toronto power, it serves up steaks, wines, and scotches in a reverently hushed room hung about with venerable oil paintings. In a more contemporary vein there's Fusion (First Canadian Place, lower level, 416-368-3692), with its fresh, urban look and its well stocked bar. Under chef Joe Lui, the menu follows the fusion theme, with osso bucco, pad thai, and popular fish specials.
PERFECT PATIOS
A hangout for the artists and media types who frequent the Liberty Street neighbourhood, the Liberty Café (25 Liberty St., 416-533-8828) is never more inviting than at dusk on a weekend with the first strains of a small jazz or Latin act starting to play. Arranged around a corner, the patio is overhung with greenery, and regulars linger for hours. More like a back porch, really, the patio of the Old York Bar and Grill (167 Niagara St., 416-703-9675) may be right across the street from the slaughterhouse, but somehow seems much more idyllic. Great on a summer evening with burgers, beer, and just the hint of a sunburn from a day in the park. In the east end, Tango Palace (1156 Queen St. E., 416-465-8085) has a secluded backyard deck with lots of tree cover where, over morning coffee, patrons can watch Tai Chi practitioners or kids in the playground in the neighbouring park. One house rule: no flicking of spent cigarettes, so they don't make another car explode.
- Writer
