A favourite foodie
spot in Toronto is tucked away from the
busy streets and central districts in a residential neighborhood just
east of Chinatown. In the summer it is a tree-lined street teeming
with patios and good food; in the winter the hungry masses have to
settle for just good food. Baldwin Street is an ethnically diverse
diner’s delight, with food choices to suit anyone’s budget.
What’s more, it’s less than ten minutes from U of T’s
main gates.
I mentioned Thai Paradise the last time I had the opportunity to do a
food review for The Window,
and nothing has changed since. It is my favourite
Pad Thai in the city, and it’s one of the most affordable spots
as well. Entrees average at $12.95 in an atmosphere that could easily
ask double that.
Margarita’s, on the other hand, is not
the choice if you’re looking for a good meal. While they do offer
a kicking namesake drink, the food itself can be easily beaten by Old
El Paso in your kitchen at home. A fun atmosphere and a great patio
make this place an excellent meeting spot, but not your main course.
John’s
Italian Café is a comfortable, no frills establishment with the added bonus
of British waiters who continue to perplex me in their role serving
Italian fare. Meals are fairly priced and filling, consisting primarily
of the Italian mainstays of pasta and pizza. The homemade lasagna is delicious
(better than any I had in Italy itself) and the minestrone
soup has the perfect broth-to-veggies ratio. On the other hand their
pesto sauce was disappointing and their pizza crust left something to
be desired, but neither gave me reason not to return and try again. The
place is so laid back you could comfortably sit there for hours with
good company and do dinner just as the Italians would expect.
The restaurant on Baldwin I looked forward to trying
the most was Bodega, a
well-respected fine dining establishment focused mainly on French
cuisine. The ambience is serene and the tables are well-spaced,
allowing muted dining conversations to float around you. The service
was attentive throughout the evening; the waitress was particularly
apologetic about the missing fixed price menu that had brought us to
the restaurant in the first place. Bodega
offers an affordable $29.95 fixed price dinner menu most nights of the
week, which is a great deal for students in a restaurant where an
entree can cost just as much. She advised calling ahead if the fixed
price menu is what you are interested in, for it often sells out due to
its popularity. Of the regular menu fare there was very little to
complain about, and my pining for the prix fixe
menu disappeared quickly. The hearts of romaine appetizer was fresh and
crisp (though it really was just a Caesar salad). The shrimp ravioli
with scallops was cooked perfectly and served with an interesting
coconut curry sauce. The ballantine of
chicken saw bacon-wrapped chicken stuffed with a wildberry
stuffing served au jus; each flavour on its
own was delicious but together the combination felt too busy. Dessert
was a melt-in-your-mouth flourless chocolate espresso Bailey’s
cake that could very easily make me drool simply thinking about it. A
wonderful and pleasant dining experience on the whole, though certainly
not somewhere for the everyday expenses. Bodega is a great spot to bring a date to spend just that
extra bit for the fine dining experience. Even better, bring your parents
and have them pick up the cheque!
