[Toronto] Smith

Location Review
533 Church Street
Toronto, Ontario
(416)926-2501
Website

Unassuming from the outside, this Church Street establishment is well known by locals for its brunch. When you enter Smith (@SmithToronto), you almost forget that this is Toronto. It is quaint and cozy, and felt like an elusive secret spot for only those in the know. But judging by the number of people who were already seated when we arrived, as well as the abundant 3 floors of seating, this most likely was not the case.

Everything about this restaurant feels intimate. The warm oak fixtures, candle lit ambience, freshly cut flowers, porcelain plates, and elegantly aged silverware; almost makes you feel like missed putting up some sort of white picket fence outside. Despite this, Smiths was unintimidating, relaxed, and perfect for the cordial catch-up brunch I was about to have.

Smith

[New York] David Burke Kitchen

Location Review
23 Grand Street Soho, NY 10013
Menu




Chef David Burke is probably not an unrecognized name in the Tri-state area. He has under his belt an impressive portfolio of restaurants, all with a specific theme, and all eponymously named after him. Standing out the most from the list is David Burke Fromagerie, which puts one of my favourite things on earth; CHEESE in the spotlight. But let's stay on track, today's post is about David Burke Kitchen (@DBKitchen), a restaurant focused on locally sourced ingredients from the New York area.

David Burke Kitchen

Mr. Pig says: "Welcome to the Kitchen!"

As you approach the restaurant, you can feel the full effect of their "farm-to-table" concept. A life size pig statue greets you at the entrance. Inside, the decor has all the elements of what I'd like to call a "little house on the prairie" theme; checkered table clothes, fruit baskets, and sepia filtered pictures of livestock.

[New York] Essex Restaurant

Location Review

120 Essex Street,
New York, 10002
NY, United States
(212) 533-9616
Menu




It's barely noon when we arrive at Essex Restaurant (@EssexNYC)for brunch. Even with a reservation, we found ourselves crammed like sardines near the entrance, waiting for a table. Turns out by New York state law, alcoholic beverages cannot be served prior to noon on Sundays. Normally that wouldn't be a problem for most brunch spots, but at Essex, the alcohol is every bit as important as the breakfast fare itself.

While the internet has high regards for the food here, I am going to remember this establishment by the amount of alcohol that moves through the bar. Watching the bar for just a couple minutes left me fascinated at how quickly the champagne, vodka. and orange juice on the shelf was depleting. It's not until I saw a menu that it all made reasonable sense. "$22.95 Weekend brunch includes 3 Bloody Mary's Mimosas or Screwdrivers". Clearly the folks at Essex aren't joking around about doing brunch the right way.

Essex Restaurant

[Ottawa] Von's Bistro

Review Location:
819 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario






If you’re like me, then you love breakfast food. I’m not much of a morning person though, so brunch is probably like the best thing invented. While in Ottawa, we ended up taking a stop here on a Sunday for some early afternoon fuel.

This place is located in the "Glebe" area of Ottawa, and is a small little restaurant. To maximize on seating, all the tables were quite squished together, but the big light inviting glass windows help a bit with the perception of space.