Contrary to common lore, there is real food available at TTC stations, and retrieval of said food does not involve any sort of intra-commuter thievery. While many stations on the grid offer Gateway newsstands where you can pick up a bag of chips along with the latest Teen Mom gossip (guilty), there are a few stations equipped with more substantial food options. Needless to say, you won't discover the gourmet at any of these spots, but you can find something to tide you over without forfeiting an extra token by exiting the system. If you're stuck on a long commute and pining for some real food (and don't mind annoying fellow commuters with you chewing and crumbs, of course), here is a list of stations offering a few decent eats:

Bathurst — Patties
Yes, this station is home to the actually-quite-good Jamaican patty, sold for $1.50 apiece in either veggie, chicken, or beef (mild or spicy). I'm referring to those, of course, at Bakery on the Go, which sits newly renovated across from the seedier-looking, sit-in Cafe on the Go. While I've never had the pleasure of dining at the latter, it does offer heartier meal-ish options such as sandwiches and jerk chicken. Though I think I'll stick with the patties.

Eglinton — Pizza/Samosas
While Cinnabon is clearly the star at this station (same with Sheppard), Eglinton does have its own often-overlooked, very modest-looking pizzeria. If you look past the peeling colours of the Italian flag bordering the glass walls and 1980s decor, you'll find that "Tessorra" (as I think its eroded name reads) offers pretty good pizza by the slice, starting at $2.99 including a drink. I'm less optimistic about the pork schnitzel on a bun. The bus platform also has a small food outlet famously preserved for "No more than 3 students at a time," offering giant samosas ($2) and other snacks.

Wilson — Sandwiches
The stall here is called "Tarts, Treats, and Coffee," and while it does offer all of those three things, I think the sandwiches warrant a spot in the name. Or, at least a subtle tagline nod. They're not made to order, obviously, (but that would be something, eh TTC folk?) but they are prepared fresh daily with real ingredients like "bread" and "tuna." Though they're sort of on the pricey side as far as TTC grub goes ($6+), the turkey sandwiches et al. offer a change from the baked sweets or deep-fried.

Downsview — Muffins
After the long ride up north you've undoubtedly become famished, and so, there's the Transit Cafe open and ready to serve. While the spot is largely convenience-oriented with mostly candies, cookies, and snacks, as well as prepackaged sandwiches and patties warming in a sad heater, it does have a redeeming option—the muffins. These muffins are huge, fresh, and actually pretty tasty, available in standard varieties including chocolate chip, chocolate fudge, carrot, and blueberry. And for $1.85, you can't really go wrong.

Warden — Hot table
Warden station's bus bay has two seemingly similar spots— its Bakery on the Go offering samosas, patties, and baked goods, and its Cafe on the Go, which has an actual hot table. The Bakery on the Go is pretty consistent in terms of its quality, but since the hot table in the Cafe is of the few on the system, it deserves a little extra attention. Don't be deterred by hot dogs spinning pitifully on a roller by the entrance, the daily offerings here include jerk chicken, barbecue chicken, fried noodles, and sides. Yes, actual protein, enough to possibly fill you up. A TTC station feat—conquered.

Here are some other options for a tide-me-over on the TTC:

• Islington: Moyash Bakery and Cafe on the Go
• Dundas West: McDonald's
• Victoria Park: Daily Perk
• Finch: Tim Hortons
• Sheppard: Cinnabon
• St. Clair: McDonald's
• Don Mills: Tarts, Treats, & Coffee

Photo by Mariam Matti

If you drink beer and live in Toronto, you've undoubtedly already heard of Great Lakes Brewing Company. Established in 1987, Great Lakes is Toronto's oldest craft brewery and, while they first made the scene with their Golden Horseshoe Premium Lager, they've since become known for brewing tasty, award-winning beers like their Crazy Canuck Pale Ale and their Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager, not to mention their well-received one-offs and their seasonal favourites like the Winter Ale and Pumpkin Ale.

Held on the second Thursday of each month, Project X events feature a one-off cask-conditioned ale and a sampling of beer-themed food. It all started four years ago as a way for the brewery to share some of the test batches of beer they had been brewing with Toronto's local craft beer drinkers.

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With varying numbers and severity of infractions, jazz hub The Rex, blues room The Silver Dollar, and everything else Annex Live were handed conditional passes, along with several other notable Toronto spots where guests dine to pre-programmed soundtracks. Here are some of the DineSafe highlights for the week.

Robbie Burns Day 2012 means Toronto pubs and restaurants will soon be stocked with an unusually large quantity of haggis. Come Wednesday, January 25, Robbie Burns fans (or else, just fans of haggis — and yes, I hear they do exist) will gather to pay tribute to the 18th century Scottish poet, if only by sampling single-malt scotch and sitting patiently during "Address to a Haggis." Many of these events also feature live music, highland dancing, and a lack of odd stares if you show up in a kilt. Finally. Here are a few Robbie Burns Day suppers and events happening around Toronto this year.

While Etobicoke might not be your first choice for a place to party on a Saturday night — unless you like to party with Rob and Doug — Black Oak Brewing Company and their upcoming Winter Warmer event, taking place Saturday January 28th, might just change your mind.

Part of a series of monthly parties they've been hosting at the brewery since last fall, this Saturday's Winter Warmer continues the company's celebration of local craft beer and food. The event features kegs of Black Oak Nut Brown, Black Oak Pale Ale, the long-awaited Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout, and special one-off cask ales, in addition to beer from Kensington Brewing Company and Cheshire Valley Brewing Company, both of whom contract space and brew their beer using Black Oak's facilities.

This week on DineSafe, some of our favourite sources of indulgence were tested and passed, though not, unfortunately, with flying colours. Those around U of T looking to treat themselves to a doughnut or piece of pizza may have found their go-to spots now brandished with conditional passes. Krispy Kreme on Harbord got caught on a couple of regulations last week, along with Papa Ceo, which is known for its enormous (and fairly cheap) slices. Moving north, The Cake Boutique took the uh, "cake" this week with nine total infractions, followed by Café Palma at Mel Lastman Square with eight across the board.

And just when you were thinking that healthy might be the way to go, the nutrition-focused Glow Fresh Grill at the Shops at Don Mills, alas, was also on the "Conditional" list. Here are some of the yellow passes that were handed out this week.