The Avro Arrow Points to Queen E.

not an avro arrow, but close

Leslieville is a neighborhood renowned for its independent cafes and vintage furniture shops, but has yet to become a nightlife destination. Between the Blue Moon and Swirl there seems to be a dearth of middle range bars east of Broadview; it’s either Pabst Blue Ribbon or please make a reservation. Queen Street East’s new addition, the Avro, is sure to spice up the strip, offering customers quality drinks at midrange prices in a trendy setting.

Named after the delta-winged interceptor aircraft, designed and built by Avro Aircraft Limited in Malton, Ontario, The Avro pays nostalgic homage to its dated name in spades. The Avro was decorated with recycled pieces found, rehabilitated, and repurposed by owners Rachel Conduit and Bruce Dawson. The mismatched chairs, retro light fixtures, and eclectic wall hangings give the space a kitschy, yet homey atmosphere. There’s even bearded cowboy mannequin who’s always willing to offer lonely bar patrons some company.

the avro during day time

While the Avro is cheap compared to some of the established Leslieville night life, it’s not necessarily the thriftiest alcohol option available to a tight wallet on a Friday night. Their most cost savvy option is Labatt 50 for 4.50$, other bottles on offer weigh in at 5.25$, and tall cans and draft at 6.25$. But, if you take advantage of 4$ Shot Mondays or Cheap Pint Fridays (wear plaid and save 1$ on draft) you can still feel like you’re living large on a small budget. They also welcome you to bring your own food, and will even provide you with a plate if you ask nicely.

Rachel is a long-time Leslieville resident and is a familiar face to many, as she was a veteran bartender at The Comrade, a premium beer lounge a few stores down. Rachel decided to open the Avro when she noticed that Leslieville’s population was growing younger, and no one was catering to the captive market. Comrade owners Nikki Andriet and Dean Fletcher are sad to lose Rachel, but she leaves with their full blessing and support.

the avro with wall projection

From Live Music Tuesdays to Bring Your Own Vinyl Sundays the Avro is sure to attract attention and a loyal following.

AMBIANCE 4/5
SERVICE 4/5
PRICE $-$$
HOURS open daily from 7pm to 2am.
LOCATION, LOCATION 750B Queen Street East
NOTEWORTHY BYOVS (Bring Your Own Vinyl Sundays)

[Originally written for a Toronto Life internship application.]

Idealic

Ideal's patio

Over the past 10 years Toronto and Montreal have diverged down two different micro paths. While Montreal has been busy becoming a secret beer Mecca, Toronto has been quietly stoking a roaring roasting fire. One of my favourite Toronto micro-roasters is Ideal Coffee. With a focus on sustainability, both environmental and social, Ideal offers its costumers luscious, guilt free, coffee at competitive prices.

photo taken by joe r. with a panasonic gf1, 20mm pancake lens.

Ideal Coffee has three locations across the city, from east to west: Leslieville, Kensington, and Ossington.  Their Kensington location is my favourite, although the communal ambience and lack of traditional café seating isn’t for everyone. Expect a stranger to strike up a conversation with you— especially during the spring and summer months as the patio buzzes with a vibrancy that will rival most bars. While the Ideal can be a good place to read for pleasure, don’t come expecting to get work done— indoor space is limited, there’s no wi-fi, and plugging in your laptop is a fault pas. Mind you, if you’re looking to unwind during a leisurely afternoon Kensington wander this is the place for you.

Drop by on Saturday and watch them roast your beans right before your eyes.

A pound of fresh roasted whole bean coffee will run you 14$ (tax in), but wait that’s not all—with every pound you buy you get a free mug of fresh steaming drip to bring on your way, or to enjoy on the patio. Yes, I know that S-bucks coffee typically hovers around 12 a pound, but that’s tax out, and you don’t get a fresh mug of drip to sate you.  Not to mention S-bucks doesn’t offer you local Harmony Organic milk, soymilk, or almond milk. A cup of drip is 2$, as is tea, and a latte will run you 3.75$, with a cappuccino closing it at 3.50$. Baked goods range in price, but hover between 2-4$. If you’re penny pinching the 2$ drip can’t be beat.

When I used to frequent Ideal regularly I described it as the perfect bordello of a café, but since partnering up with the Fresh Coffee Network Ideal has under gone a much-needed face-lift. This shift is probably for the best, as cluttered and dingy appeals to a very particular type of person, and that person is usually under twenty. The partnership between Ideal and the FCN has affected more than just the decor— Ideal’s beans have always been carefully selected based on quality and sustainability, but until last year the café was still using Styrofoam take-away cups. The shift to biodegradable Greenshift cups only adds to Ideal’s allure.

Whole Bean recommendation: Prince of Darkness (just saying the name makes you want to cackle manically).

 

 

 

 

SERVICE 4/5 — typically, down to earth, friendly baristas.
AMBIANCE 3½/5
PRESENTATION 3½/5 — they might not draw Mona Lisa in your foam, but they’ll pull a good espresso.
TASTE 5/5
PRICE ¢
LOCATION, LOCATION 84 Nassau Street

Lil’ Bacci: a lil’ lacking

Lil’ Bacci was one of my favourite pizza places in Toronto. Bacci is still a great east end option; one of the few establishments that is both family and date friendly. However, it seems that this once great pizza haunt is on a downhill trajectory.

The restaurant is small, but not claustrophobic, the service is attentive, and the prices are moderate. Dinner for two will run you about 45$. What made Bacci affordable on a student budget was to avoid the wine, split a pizza (14-16$), and if you we’re really hungry, pair your half pizza with an appetizer or salad.

Unfortunately, the establishment’s manager ran off with a few thousand dollars, resulting in a huge staff turn over, from servers to chefs.  It seems their great dough recipe was lost in the shuffle. What was once one of the best thin crust pizza restaurants in Toronto, now serves mediocre artisan pizza. On my most recent visit the pizza’s consistency was appalling; on the outside it was dry and crunchy, while the inner parts of the pizza were undercooked resulting in flaccid pizza slices.

I ordered the Bufala pizza (a simple pizza: tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil), and found it under-sauced and over-cheesed.  I would of preferred shredded basil on the pizza, rather than whole leaf, that would have made for better flavour distribution.

Lil’ Bacci has never been amazing when they stray from their pizza forte. The lemon spinach gnocci was possibly the worst dish on their menu, but under new management it has been replaced by three traditional Italian pasta dishes, spaghetti and meatballs, gnocchi in tomato sauce with buffalo mozzarella, and fusili Primavera (around 17$ a plate). 17$ a plate for pasta seem exorbitant to me. Especially since pasta is one of the most cost and time effective dishes you can make.

I will, however, recommend Lil’ Bacci on the quality of their ingridients. Their Prosciutto was lean, with just a hint of fat, and had the perfect balance of dryness and wetness. It tasted like it was loving cured by an Italian nono. Bacci also has the best home preserved chilies in Toronto.

I recommend skipping dinner here, but keep an open mind regarding lunch. Lil’ Bacci has an excellent lunch special. You choose any soup or salad and pair it with any panino, pasta or pizza for 10$. They shrink the pizzas for this lunch special, but for 10$ you really can’t ask for more.

The bottom line: go there for the lunch special, enjoy the ambience, but don’t expect rave-worthy pizza.

SERVICE 3.5/5
AMBIANCE 4/5
PRESENTATION 3/5
TASTE 2.5/5
PRICE $$/$
HOURS Seven days a week 11:30 am- 10 pm
LOCATION, LOCATION 892 Queen Street East