Weston Winterlicious #7 - Eggsmart
avocado toast benny
I’ve lived in Weston now for over 14 years and Eggsmart on Weston Road has been here most/all(?) of those years. Honestly, I don’t know. I’d never been.
A couple of months ago, though, I planned to meet a friend for an early Sunday brunch at El Almacen, my go-to coffee and brunch place in Weston. The El wasn’t yet open so we walked north up Weston Road and ducked into the bustling Sunday environment. We both enjoyed our diner breakfast very much. So much so that one very wintery December Monday (when The El takes a day off) when my electricity was off to allow some work to be done on my place, I sought refuge at Eggsmart for lunch and stayed on to work.
Eggsmart has so much in its favour. First, the coffee is just as you expect it — in a thick white mug, out of those big restaurant machines, the perfect vehicle for two or three of the Gay Lea 18% coffee creamers. The fact those creamers sit out all day and somehow don’t go “off” should make me suspicious but it’s co-operatively produced cream (yes, that’s right, Gay Lea is an agri-co-op) so it’s OK.
Then comes the rather daunting menu. Eggs are the star here and you already know how much I love them (in case you missed it) so it’s more a question of which way to go. Omelettes are always a good choice. So are scramblers. Looking further into the menu, the Peruvian Poutine seemed intriguing with its braised beef barbacoa. If one day I do order that, I’ll be sure to swap out the sweet potato fries for the real deal. Potato shouldn’t be orange. Or sweet. But that may be just me. The place is not called Poutinesmart so I moved back to the front of the menu. I’m not much for making hollandaise at home, and perfectly poaching an egg is an art I’ve yet to master, so any benny appeals to me. Here there are a few choices but it was the avocado toast benny that won the day for me. I wasn’t disappointed.
The eggs came sitting atop chunks of perfectly ripened avocado. The eggs in turn were topped by pico de Gallo, feta, hollandaise, and a little cilantro. Then there was a generous side of home fries, just crispy enough, and ready for dousing in ketchup and a few drops of hot sauce.
While I wasn’t thinking I’d spend more than the requisite 45 minutes or so to order, eat, and pay, the comfortable environment meant I ended up hanging out for a couple of hours. Indeed I wrote this column from the corner table, giving me a chance to see who uses this place. Because of its ample parking lot, patrons were largely the car crowd, distinguishing it from The El and P&M down the street, both of which seem to cater more to pedestrians. There were tables of mostly men, likely workmates, who came in, ate, and left in record time, anxious to get back to the job site. Also joining me that day were a couple of families and a son and aging mother combo. And there were also one or two other people sitting alone. It wasn’t super-busy, but what was very clear that most of them were regulars, all wishing the server a happy holiday as they left.
And finally, a word on the service. Despite this not being a ‘nurse a coffee and work on a laptop’ kind of place, my server was fine with me doing just that. She even offered to shut the blinds for me — I declined, because in December, I’d rather be blinded by the glare than miss out on the warmth and the light. I absented myself early enough that she could clear my table in advance of the 2:30 closing time. No need to make myself a problem customer before I’ve established myself as a regular! She also recommended another local place, Punta Cana Haus on Jane Street: stay tune because I’ll be profiling that one too.
But I suspect I will head down to Eggsmart more often now. With good food, good service, and a reasonable price, why not?
* Winterlicious debuted in 2003 to promote Toronto’s restaurant industry during the slower winter months. Since then, the event has grown significantly, reportedly serving over 450,000 meals annually. This year, 243 places offer three course, fixed price menus at reduced rates. Seven of these are within an easy walk of my office on the Danforth. Zero are available in Weston.
So last year I started my own Weston Winterlicious series. My criteria? walking distance from my house; food cooked onsite; table service; and open for lunch.
Missed last year’s series Winterlicious series? Check them out here:
#1 Crab Boil
#2 El Almacen Yerba Mate Cafe
#3 Wakame
#4 Comal y Canela
#5 Jolly Italian Ristorante
#6 P&M
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