Three Coins Open Kitchen

A friend of mine asked me for a good family breakfast place in north GTA and I gladly did the research for her.

APPEARANCE
medium-deep plum, with ruby notes
It is up on the hill of Richmond Hill, in the central area, where it gets cute and cozy. From across the street what looks like a white wall of blinds welcomes you. Both me and cheri agreed that there is a laundry room feel to it. It was the triangular sign up on top that made us realize that is not the case.

NOSE
red berry, plum and cassis (a bit too diverse)
Inside, checkered and yellow walls, blue ceiling - quite a clash of colours for the morning, but relaxing to the eye following that bright white sign outside. In front of us - a long corridor with a bar-like area, facing the open kitchen grill and a girl telling us to sit where we wish. The place was packed and we didn't have much choice but to go towards the larger dining room, on the right side. It was rather busy and folks seemed to be a bit older, we both agreed that it felt like we are in some diner mid US. Posters of Marilyn Monroe and other of her era, including some decent cars, decorated the walls.

SWIRL
subtle oak, chocolate and anise
We got our menus, as were asked for tea and coffee. Skimming though the menu, I inquired about their smoothies. I was told that they are very good and that they are also out of them, as they didn't have milk. We found it silly that they couldn't go out and get a carton. Entertaining ourselves with the menu, Cheri couldn't help by notice their "Cream Chess" which I to inquire about.
(oh, yes, a typo)Looking though their retro-flashy menu, it seems like a leaflet you get in the mail with pizza deals, except it was in the classic, plastic, double-fold pockets. Regardless of the visual overload, it was no doubt easy to navigate though. I had to try their benny which came with home fries, while cheri asked for their Western Omelette.
As we waited, I was surprised that there was no music playing, but soon enough It all clicked in my head. We noticed that each booth had something on their wall, (not the typical plasma tv), but an old-school juke box. That was probably the funnest part of this place.
We saw a couple leave so we quickly snatched their booth, but our seats were not left cold - a dad and his two kids quickly took our spots. The booth had a juke box, unlike our previous table, and was not right by the windows. Flipping though the oldies, we didn't have 25cents on us, so we asked our waitress a few times for a coin.

PALLETE
soft, well-balanced, tanins at the finish
My benny and his omelette arrived. We tasted them to the tune of the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations). We got a few smiles from people around. None else followed our juke box example, unfortunately. My Eggs Benedict was great - the bacon was substituted by lean English bacon, which they called ham. The hollandaise was great texture, not too buttery nor bland. The worst part of my plate were the home fries, they smelled like old grease. Totally not something I was gonna finish.
Cheri's Western Omlette was nothing out of the ordinary - green peppers, ham, onion and egg with a nice side of cucumbers and tomatoes. He though it was perhaps a tad too salty. We took our time finishing our dishes. Half of my benny really filled me up.

FINISH
leaving a pleasant mouthfeel
I have to admit, even though those blinds looked uninviting from the outside, we were more than glad they were there. That sunlight would have made us boil, as it was getting just a bit steamy with them down and the AC on.

Overall.. a decent Merlot (poor label at first glance, but quite worth it)

Lady Marmalade

http://www.ladymarmalade.ca/

People have asked me what my favourite restaurants are, and strangely enough I never wrote about them. Perhaps, its some kind of selfish back thoughts, that I like to keep them gems untouched. Or perhaps being afraid that my benchmark places might end up disappointing me for whatever reason. Either way, I have decided to start.
On my way to the beaches, if I ever have over an hour and an appetite, I am coming in. (not to mention, if I feel like spoiling myself with the city's top bennies)

APPEARANCE
light, bright
Light green and yellow front with well-tracked, hand-painted, elegant serif type and always a long line, you can't miss this little hub on Queen East. Recently they have started opening their windows, hopefully soon enough they'll figure out a way to make all front window panels retractable.

SWIRL
pear, floral
As the line gets shorter and you enter there is a curtain, to separate people in line from drooling on others' food, or giving them looks. To entertain the hungry crowd there is a wall with all kinds of small local artists and events happening. On top of that, the walls inside have local art. This time there was some really neat photographs with perspective lines of thread on top and some 3D photo collages. The green walls everywhere and energy of people give this place the feel of spring morning. My favourite part of this place is that no two chairs match, same goes with their cutlery and there's also a variety of tables.

NOSE
light honeysuckle, hints of apple and mineral
The long line realistically took about 30min - not bad, at all. Once we sat down menus were quickly given out to us. They are rather flimsy, and these were also wet. There has always been a doodle-like portrait at the front, a bit too tight around the edges. Cheri is convinced its Muammar Guddafi, but our waitress didn't seem to think so. We saw a special on their little chalk stand-up board - french toast with banana caramel so we had to give it a shot. Also, to share, one of my favourites -Brie, Avocado, Bacon Benny. My other benny recommendations are the Ham, Red Option and Chipotle Mayo and the Cheddar, Bacon and Mango Salsa.

PALATE
medium-light bodied, light acidity, smooth
Their caramel banana french toast seemed to be too popular, so we went with their second best option - Chocolate Raspberry. Getting our food took some time, no matter how long it would've been, its worth the flavour. The hollandaise is just the perfect texture, the eggs are just the right amount of solid & liquid and the brie, bacon, green onion and avocado just make it above and beyond. With a pinch of paprika/chipotle (perhaps a bit on the stingy side), a side of home-made fries and a small bowl of salad this is all I can ever ask for.
We had never tried their french toast, and what a mistake that is. With a few fruits on the side and a side of maple syrup, this chunk of sweet goodness is not to miss. I kept on wandering how this dish was possibly made - there wasn't a single dry or undercooked part, also hardly any air inside. This bread was made to be a fresh toast (not just a last minute decision) and my assumption - it just came out of the oven. It was a generous chunk, definitely for sharing. A bit on the heavy side though, with chocolate chips and berries inside, topped with chocolate syrup and raspberry jam.

FINISH
sweet notes of flower and light spice
Energizing like spring - the bright, local, small community feel together with mouth-watering food draws me to Lady Marmalade again and again.
As for the line, there's always one.

overall.. a warm, aged Riesling with a soul.