Restaurants
Maggie's Can Stuff My Toast Any Day
Somewhere in between closing time at rowdy Sneaky Dee's and the midday bustle of Kensington Market, Maggie's opens up for brunch on College Street.
Serving up a variety of delicious breakfast favourites has made this little café a wildly popular spot in the area. So popular, in fact, that my friends and I arrive at 2pm for an extra-late brunch, just hoping to avoid the crowds and waiting.
Our plan works out well as there are only a few people left at Maggie's, though remnants of the past hours are visible as the place looks a little like a hurricane has blown through.
The staff are quick to clear off a table and pick up some newspapers as we take a seat. Soon after we're looking over the menu and ordering up a long-awaited brunch.
Maggie's is probably best known for Garlic Fries and their Stuffed French Toast. The French Toast (pictured at the top) completely lived up to its reputation. Of the various stuffing options, we went for simplicity and chose Apple & Cinnamon. It arrived piping hot, stacked high and delicious. The balance between egg and toast is perfect and not too heavy.
The Garlic Fries, on the other hand, are good fries but surprisingly lack garlic entirely. Perhaps they ran out after the morning rush?
The Big Breakfast was true to its title, featuring three eggs, 'garlic' fries, bacon, fruit and toast piled on top. It was near perfect aside from the over-easy eggs being done sunny-side up (there's a difference!). The rest is scrumptious enough that we let it slide.
Finally, a pick from the lunch menu: the Mixed Veggie sandwich. The dish arrives with 2 full sandwiches, making it great for sharing. It starts off well but soon the veggies (in tomato sauce) start soaking the toast, creating a soggy mess. Now, it was a tasty soggy mess, but never-the-less, a few pieces of lettuce between toast and veggies would have helped keep this toast toasty.
All-in-all, despite some small complaints, the food was fresh and made with quality ingredients. Did I mention the French Toast? Maggie's will definitely see a return visit.
Discussion
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Because a breakfast spot can actually manage to flip an egg, put toast in a toaster, add garlic to the fries and charge 9 dollars a dish, it needs a review?
While I am beginning to find Aunties and Uncles a bit heavy now a-days, it is infinitely more interesting, and better still <i>right around the corner</i>.
I gave it a return visit and on the second trip I had the same experience as the first: the wait staff is somewhat unclean and completely indifferent, the pancakes are heavy and bland, the garlic fries are neither garlicky nor particularly well fried (nearly indistinguishable from Burger King's fries in fact), and the toast is about as good as most of the fruit is brown.
Chuck - The fries weren't garlicy, yes, but they were still really good regular fries as I'm sure comes across even in the image.
Except that being a food reviewer implies that you have a bit of food knowledge, a fine palate, and a willingness to go where your reader's mouths haven't been, traits I haven't really seen.
You ate at some middle of the road breakfast joint, just one step beyond Mom's fry pan, complete with the requisite for Toronto chunks of melon on the side, with fries making it brunch instead of breakfast.
Sliced whole wheat Wonder Bread toast--how original. They stuffed apples inside the french toast (made with the aforementioned Wonder Bread)--call the Iron Chef, I think he is out of a job.
Sure, an acceptable spot to crawl over to when hung-over, but part of completing a successful review is starting with a good or highly anticipated restaurant in the first place.
It may surprise you that plenty of readers have never been to this place, might have considered it, and are interested to see/hear what the food is like. I can't know where our readers have or haven't been and isn't the point. Here at blogTO we like to cover all kinds of Toronto independent eateries, both obscure and well known, not just the new 'it' thing.
I blog about what I eat... it's what a blogger does. If you are going to pay for my dinners and label me a pro critic, then perhaps I'll consider being more "selective" about what I dare present to our readers (or have for dinner).
I could be wrong, but I'll take a look tomorrow morning on my way to work (at Aunties). I would be interested in comparing it to the other Maggie's spots (or former Maggie's spots).
I also heard that they have a good dish called eggs oceana or something like that, a salmon kind of Benedict.
My roomies love it there.
(I know, the flies are a bit much at Aunties during the summer, and right now, bees too. )
Even if you are eating exclusively at shitholes, if your objective is to tell your readers whether it is worth your 8 bucks (because readers are "interested to see/hear what the food is like"), don't you have an obligation to call crap what it is when you see it? And tell them not to waste their time/money on a place that can't produce eggs to order?
I recall some of this blog's reviews of some more upscale places in some fancy hollywood publication during last year's TIFF where it was clear that the reviewer actually hadn't eaten at the restaurant, so I suppose this is better, but just.
(For the record, I like Maggie's, though you have to be pretty particular about what you order (try the sausage).)
Are you actually trying to accuse me of not eating at places while photos of the food run alongside? I suppose I just go in and snap pictures at people's tables. Yup. That's must be it.
I do not for a second suggest that you fake eat in order to generate reviews of shitholes. There is demonstrable evidence of your enjoyment of shitholes.
But truly u stirred my curiosity and here's some news for u!
This Maggi's location on college Street is not part of the Real Maggie's anymore.
They continue using the same menu because for over the years it has been one of the most successful and delicious one.
I heard from our office sources that the REAL MAGGIE, basically the creator of Maggie's goodness is back in town from London Ontario and has launched her new location called Karine's by Maggie's in the Village by the Grange McCaul/Dundas, serving Vegan, Vegetarian and All Day Breakfast.
Their portions, their prices and the newest items on their menu are out of this world. I will be visiting Toronto again in this coming week and guess what? First stop at Karine's by Maggie's.
Now the original Maggie's is called Karine's and serves the best vegan and breakfast items in Toronto, go and visit there it is at Grange McCall street near AGO.
Zareh
Susan.
Anyway I urge all of u to check karines.ca and be amazed by their amazing portions and prices.
bon appetit!