Restaurants
Zocalo
Zocalo, another recent addition to the roster of casual restaurants in Bloordale Village, is one of those places that just feels like a neighbourhood spot. Narrowing the gap between Bloordale and the Junction, Zocalo's unassuming storefront resides at Bloor and Sterling, a little further west of this strip's developing concentration of restaurants and cafés. The small space is bright and welcoming, and the friendly owner immediately makes us feel like we've been hanging out here for ages.
Zocalo is currently open only during the daytime (dinner service will begin once a pending liquor license is complete). We arrive on a Saturday afternoon to sample the lunch menu. The charming decor is simple and rustic, all wood and neutral colours punctuated by a handful of bright red tables dotted with little vases of fresh flowers. At the back of the restaurant is an eye-catching bar, atop of which rests an espresso machine that produces the tasty americanos ($2.25) we start with.
The menu is a small but diverse collection of interesting items. The brief card is divided into baked goods, starters, and sandwiches... sort of. Broken bread sandwiches, to be more specific, which the owner explains is sort of a deconstructed sandwich. The warm, fresh bread comes on the side of a plate of sandwich ingredients, all separate so they can either be eaten as an assemble-yourself type of sandwich, or separately, perhaps as a salad of sorts. A little strange, but something different anyhow, and since the various ingredients are separately quite tasty we can't complain.
Our first broken bread is the pommery fennel and egg mash ($10 - top photo). The mash is like egg salad, served cold and mixed with fennel, fresh herbs and mustard. The combination of crunchy fennel and fresh dill with the egg is good itself, but made even better by the delicious accompanying tomato relish which is very tangy. This dish also includes a chunk of soft cheese, green salad and both white and whole grain bread. The slices of baguette aren't exactly conducive to creating one sandwich-like item, so I mostly try and get a little bit of each ingredient on my fork and proceed from there. Logistics aside, this proves to be a winner.
We also try the grilled peaches and peppers ($10), another broken bread, which is accompanied by sweet corn hummus and spiced, roasted almonds. The sweet and smoky peaches and peppers pair well with the spiciness of the almonds and the garlicky hummus, another appealing mixture of flavours.
The greens and gruyere quiche ($7.50) is a generous slice of savoury homemade spinach, cheese and egg pastry, sided with salad and paired with the same tomato relish which adds a perfect punch here as well. I'm enjoying my egg mash, but I experience dish envy when this plate arrives in front of my friend. More than one bite is definitely in order.
Feeling fully caffeinated after another round of coffee, we decide to finish the meal with one of the homemade butter tarts ($2) that tempt me from a cake stand on the bar. My dining companion, a resident of the neighbourhood, chats away with the owner who informs us that he and his partner are also long-time Bloordale-ians and proud contributors to the transformation underway in this area. With the warm, welcoming atmosphere and the satisfying fare, we leave feeling that our visit to Zocalo was a Saturday afternoon well spent.
Photos by Taralyn Marshall
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Either way, no matter what you call us — Zocalo is a much welcomed addition to our neighbourhood! Welcome!!
This place looks beautiful, and I had no idea it had opened. This strip is becoming great for brunch.
TL-there were two votes. One included names like Bloordale (although already taken by the neighborhood to the east) and names like Captain Fantastic but the first vote eliminated eliminated all but the top ten. Junction Triangle wasn't my vote either but that's democracy for you :-)
michelle: no idea why it leads to craiglist for you and apparently others-it works perfectly for me. Here are the two unshortened links.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/780446--junction-triangle-voted-new-name-for-west-end-neighborhood
and
http://www.blogto.com/mb_toronto/2010/03/morning_brew_the_province_of_toronto_junction_triangle_named_impaired_ttc_bus_driver_tim_hortons_drive-thru_assault_bike_lanes_on_bloor_and_danforth_cash_for_guns/
Toronto has a great new place, the end! I can't wait to try it :)
A new brunch spot opens in the GTA
P.S. This place is not in Bloordale. Get your geography straight, please.
hahaha!!
My friend and I went there for brunch today. We shared the quiche with salad and tomato relish (all delicious), and then had two of the "deconstructed sandwiches": fennel and egg mash with a decent chunk of Quebecois brie from The Cheese Boutique, and homemade pork and wild mushroom sausage with perfectly executed lemony hummus, both accompanied by the same salad of mixed greens and a few slices of artisanal breads. O.J. was freshly squeezed, and latte more than adequate. All came in under $40 for the both of us.
Go there, you will not be disappointed.
I'll have to check out this new Zocalo to compare and contrast, though it sounds quite different. We were doing pretty authentic Mexican cuisine with tacos, tortas, pozole, etc.
and we can't wait to come try the new restaurant at the end of our street.
Great food, They change the menu up to keep it fresh, these pictures are outdated. Cleavage shots rule.
This place is packed every night, that speaks for its self.
Best 10 dollar main you can find around this part of town.
Every bite is savoury and leaves you wondering....How is this only $10????
So how did you miss the community wide naming vote last year? Hundreds of residents participated and it was in every newspaper and on every TV station. Thousands of mailers and cards were sent out. There were 3 public meetings. You say that you have lived in JT for 26 years which is interesting as the City of Toronto started calling the area Junction Triangle in 1976 which can be seen on planning documents. I guess you have lived in a cave all that time. : ) Come out and join the community.
Done.
The restaurant does look good though. I'll give it a shot - Hope I don't get shot.
you are the ignorant scourge of the suburbs who is ruining our city. you will not get shot in the junction triangle, but you probably should. btw your neighbourhood used to be identical to the one that you are badmouthing, before it became inhabited by the usual good/bad mix of nice new shops and restaurants/judgmental suburbanites like yourself.
I don't feel I have to go here to sympathetically support the owners and the growth of the neighbourhood, I genuinely want to have a meal here daily.