Restaurants
Outhouse
Outhouse Panini and Espresso Bar is a good excuse to get out of the house, and that's what owner William Ashman wants you to think. Found on a quiet stretch of Jane Street at Annette, this oddly named cafe has only been open for nine months now, but already has a steady stream of regulars. This is due in part to the fact that William makes tasty sandwiches and drinks, but moreso for the stories that he serves with them. And everything at Outhouse comes with a story.
Previously the owner of clothing store Haus at Bloor & Lansdowne, William realized his lifelong dream to own a restaurant when he opened Outhouse. His passion for his work extends beyond food and drink to the people that he serves. Upon walking in I was greeted like an old friend, and immediately felt welcome. William doesn't think our society places a high enough value on chattiness, and is doing his part to change this one customer at a time. He believes in bringing people together to foster a spirit of community, and he's a pro at it. William's ebullience is infectious.
We placed our order to the sounds of Jay-Z (William is not a fan of the more typical jazzy cafe music) and he regaled us with tales as we waited. As previously mentioned, all menu items at Outhouse have a story behind them, and William will tell you the history of each order as its taken. I won't divulge them here as part of the fun is hearing them firsthand!
All the drinks are made with Rufino espresso and we went with the Dirty Chai, a chai latte made with espresso ($4.75) and the Lawsuit, a vanilla latte with caramel drizzle ($4.50). The Dirty Chai wasn't as syrupy sweet as other chai lattes I've had, as the espresso added some bitterness, thus balancing out the flavour. It was good, but the winner of the two hands-down was the Lawsuit.
I love a good vanilla latte, but I always have to ask the baristas at certain big box coffee giants for half the syrup. Not so at Outhouse. First contact with the caramel drizzle provided a lovely burnt sugar aroma and, yes, it was indeed sweet as caramel should be, but was toned down as the latte quickly followed suit. Repeat.
For the carb or gluten conscious, a note on the chalkboard menu reads that every panino can be made into a salad. As much as I enjoy salad (and as much I should slow my carb intake) I will take a sandwich over one any day. My dining partner and I agreed on two - the Nonna and the Chelsea - and split them accordingly, which is really the best thing to do for decision-making challenged folk such as myself.
The Nonna ($8.50) is the vegetarian option stuffed with grilled veggies and painted with pesto and mozzarella. The (predominately) eggplant and zucchini retained some bite instead of being too soggy as grilled sandwich vegetables can often be. The Chelsea, ($11.50) came with grilled chicken breast, tomato, pesto, mozzarella and mayo. At $11.50 it's a bit steep, but to be fair, ours had a very generous amount of chicken (and consequently mayonnaise as well, which I might ask to be put on more sparingly the next time).
All panini come served on sesame Bavarian style bread and with their fair share of mess, so keep napkins close at hand.
Desserts are also on the menu and although they aren't made onsite, William picks them up bright and early every morning from OMG Baked Goodness, so they are as fresh as possible. I wish I could say that we indulged in a cookie or a tart, but we were sufficiently sated (see: bursting at the seams) after our panini and coffee.
We stayed much longer than planned as we were enjoying the company, and we weren't the only ones. Everybody who walked into Outhouse seemed to feed off of William's energy and (if they are anything like us) left in a better mood than when they came in.
Discussion
53 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
n
1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a building near to, but separate from, a main building; outbuilding
2. US an outside lavatory
There are other meanings in the English language. Instead of staying at home and raining on others parades, why don't you try educating yourself.
I appreciate the passion, however it is a business investment. Whether you're spending one dollar or a million hopefully one would make the right choices to help that investment succeed and grow.
There is no need to take my comment personally. This is a public forum, if you're going to shoot from the hip be prepared to have people interject with their own opinions.
By the way Kathy, are you a lawyer? By some of the comments you sound very vaild. LOL
The food at Outhouse looks delicious, and I'm a fan of the interior design and signage. I just don't care for the name.
Clearly you're somehow associated with the shop, why not tell us something positive about it, perhaps about the passion that's put into it instead of going on a defensive tirade in a public forum.
And Kathy Brians is obviously associated with the shop, nobody other than the criminally insane would care enough to bring the noise like she has.
get mad, Kathy.
I've read your comments. They don't sound all that above-average to me.
I'll give the Outhouse folks credit for having the balls to try such an awful name (the worst name since "Lardon" in my opinion). Who knows -- maybe they'll pull it off.
Personally it is good marketing, it will make people want to check it out.
Actually, think about it. Imagine sitting at home and saying I am going to the Outhouse. It will make people take a double take! We love unique, and this place is unique.
Who does not complain about the lack of customer service these days? Now you have it in a business and you are hung up on the name?
I heard comments about the name, but the real comments with bearing are the ones about the quality of the food and the service that comes along with it.
Congrats to the owner, he seems to be making a business that will have more than one location. Support your local businesses, or keep buying Starbucks which is American own. I wish more young people had this guys ambitions in life, our economy would thrive!
Why not just call it "Feces"?
Likely won't be going there, on principal. Sorry.
But it is William's infectious good energy and dedication to perfection that truly make it great. It also has a warm and happy atmosphere. It feels like going to a friends home who happens to have a great kitchen and is an awesome cook.
As for the name. It's quirky and is what first caught my eye and made me walk in the door. One latte or panini or cookie ... later and you won't give it a second thought. Cheers!
I don't bother reading the reviews anymore.... the comments section is much more entertaining.... flame wars, vandettas,tit-for-tattle, riveting rebuttals worthy of august publications such as News of the World (hack-kaff...)or the Toronto Sun...
Waiter, there's a turd in my poop...
I will definitely be back to Out House! MMMMmmm! And, thanks Sir WIlliam for the kindness...it's obvious you love what you do.
For me, a break is good coffee with a decadent sweet and Outhouse provides just that. I enjoy the ambience, my chats with William, and the relaxed atmosphere.
If you haven't been, give it a try - you won't be sorry.
I will absolutely be going back for many more panini - and so should you!
But I must say that William is almost as delicious as his sandwiches! As soon as I walked up to the counter I was greeted my the warmest most genuine smile. William's passion is evident in the products he serves and the way he treats his customers.
I can't wait to go back!
William is exceptional at customer service and makes me happy everytime I go. I love how he connects with people while being himself. He is so much fun - I love the atmosphere and the food there. I have had several different sandwiches and treats and they have all been outstanding!!
I was there today and William was thinking of fun things to do with the menu for the fall. He is so passionate about his business and it shows in every aspect of the Outhouse.
As to the idea of being average or "9-5" for expressing this opinion - I am a self-employed user experience consultant, working with non-profits and small businesses to develop the overall experience of their brands. Your name is a big part of your brand. Outhouse is a horrible name for a place that sells food - period. That is why so many people here in this thread are responding to it as such.
It's also worth it to note, one negative comment is worth 30 positive ones - because you learn from negative comments and that affords you the opportunity to do better. It always baffles me when people respond so poorly to constructive criticism - it's extremely juvenile and pretty pathetic, actually.
It looks like it's placed on white toilet paper; a clue that things might be kinda dodgy to begin with.
It's not a typical restaurant if you're looking for cheap food then try subway or mcdonalds! Complaining about the prices of quality food is like complaining you have mice in your house when you don't clean it.