East End Eats VIII: Xola

Xola is a Mexican restaurant so close to my house it's totally insane it took me five and a half years to finally try them. Luckily one of my dearest friends traveled a very long distance to visit me (during a pandemic no less) with the purpose of kicking me in the butt so we could try it.

It is not a cheap place. The prices are hefty, to be honest it's the type of restaurant I would only order from with at least one other person, ideally a few more. That's not just price, but because they have several appealing dishes that you would want to try as many of as you can (the avocado-grasshopper taco not on my particular list, FWIW). There's a communal intention here, where you want to order a bit of everything so to sample a taste of it all shared with other people.

Current circumstances make that idea difficult, of course. Nevertheless, my infinitely esteemed colleague and I attempted our best as a duo. For shared appetizers we ordered their guacamole sampler: one mixed with walnuts, blue cheese and well cooked chili peppers; another with bacon and smoked salmon; and the last (and best) with marinated jalapenos and goat cheese. Goat cheese makes everything better, obviously.

As for the main attraction, she went for the Cochinita (on the left), I went for the Adobo (on the right). Both of our orders came with a side of soft tortillas, sour cream, the pork with a pineapple salsa and mine with a smoother chipotle cream sauce. We sampled each other's orders (using our own separate forks to fight cross contamination etc) and well.. basically everything was incredibly delicious. The flavours weren't anything mind-melting, it's a familiar taste but done with exceptional competence and imagination. My beef dish, for instance, tasted like a tasty stew slow cooked and lovingly tenderized for hours over a stove. You can tell because the broth or accompanying juices are just as tasty as the meat itself, and put that into a tortilla with other top quality fixings... you've got a real winner.

Xola makes great food, but I suggest it (when things are somehow eventually better) with a group, so to share more of the tasty delights they have to offer. I wouldn't go by myself and order something because that doesn't quite seem worth it for what I would get. Not insulting the food (which is exceptional), I'm insulting the occasionally teenage level of my individual hunger.

East End Eats VII: Outrigger

Outrigger is a sort of sleek gastropub type place on the corner of Beech and Queen with a sweet patio (something soon to be relevant again, perhaps). They've even crammed in live bands in their entrance way before. The kind of spot you visit on a summer evening for a decent dinner before catching a matinee at the Fox Theatre across the street.

It's so close to my house that I've eaten there before, but for this series I had to try them again. I was craving a burger like madness so went for their jalapeno and avocado choice.

The price is steep (about 19 bucks) but that comes with fries and a mini salad, so you get some variety. I'd definitely prefer a lonely burger option at a lesser price, but I find most sit-down type restaurants don't offer that.

The salad is your standard house fare: a sweet vinaigrette dressing which is pleasant, but dominates the generic spring mix greens and stringed carrots. The fries though exceed expectations. They taste lightly battered, with a soft crispiness that lets the potato melt out with each bite. It's a good sign if your fries are still delicious when cold. Definitely far superior to the frozen potato sticks so many places fry-and-try to get away with. Top notch stuff and if they did a poutine (they don't, weirdly) I'd be back to try that sometime.

As for the burger... well it's less than the sum of it's parts. A tasty soft, lightly toasted bun (the way it should be), the jalapenos and avocado add an incredible dynamic of spice and smooth accessibility... but the patty itself isn't anything special. It tastes like something your buddy would pull out of the box and grill in a backyard. That's not a bad flavour... just I expected a bit more. The texture of the meat itself very much resembles a frozen patty you'd buy from a grocery store, a bit crunchy on the outside while maybe too soft inside, and those swerving strings in the beef the result of a meat grinder. It's extremely unremarkable.

Overall, it's a fine restaurant. Go for the fries, avoid the burger.   

East End Eats VI: Souvlaki Hut

Well... reviewing a place that is actually one outpost among several in a chain of locations in Southern Ontario, isn't quite what I intended when I thought of this concept. However, I'll make a singular exception here (sorry Gabby's, or Gull and Firkin) just because this particular location of Souvlaki Hut happens to be so ingrained and noticeable within the Beaches neighbourhood (existing right on the corner of Wineva and Queen, where the 64 bus loops back up to Main Street Station).

Chain or not, they do good work at this location. Here I went for the pork souvlaki wrap (no onions, because sue me) and it delivered the goods to my hungry stomach. Plenty of flavour, a soft pita (definitely a comfort), complimented nicely by tzatziki and crunchy lettuce... just a solid bite. I usually don't like tomatoes in things (again sue me) but here their sweetness was a welcomed extra layer of flavour to complete this tasty offering.

Their Greek Fries, however, are considerably lacking. Just generic, flash fry fries, a drizzle of oil, some feta cheese and that's all folks. You can make something similar at home and probably much better. Still though, the wrap was tasty enough that I'll overlook the lame complimentary dish, and go back again sometime (maybe for a lamb wrap next time...)

  

East End Eats V: Garden Gate Restaurant (The Goof)

If you're a long time east-ender (or an adopted one like me) then odds are you've stumbled upon The Goof at some point. Heck it even has a Wikipedia page. It's been around now for almost seventy years and combined with its trademark sign is unquestionably an iconic look into Toronto's past.

Its status as a great landmark is not up for debate. Does the food share such deserved distinction, however? Despite living barely a block away for half a decade, I've only eaten there twice. Well if I'm doing a gradual series of articles about Beaches/east end food spots, a legendary place like this definitely deserves a thorough look, right?

Thing is, there really isn't much else to describe beyond the legend. The food is pretty ordinary. Oh it's definitely not bad, I've had much worse Chinese food (apologizes to my friend's toilets). There's just nothing remarkable flavour wise, a taste and smell of 'ordinary' covers it all.

It's no bargain but it won't scorch your wallet (the portions are on the generous side) and it basically tastes exactly how you'd expect it to taste. Basic Chinese-ish food, by the book. It ain't bad, it's just a destination more for nostalgia than culinary ecstasy. Hey, when a craving hits they're open a bit later than most (even now) and who's to judge. I've eaten way too many bags of Ruffles chips to earn my gavel (and Ruffles are objectively gross, they're chalky as hell).

To use a vacuous phrase one of my dearest friends absolutely hates: "it is what it is". I'm glad 'it', being the Goof, exists, and hope it continues to do so. I know my next bag of Ruffles isn't too far around the next bend.

East End Eats IV: Beaches Brewing Company

Finally, a pizza one! (sinister laugh)


The Beaches Brewing company began operating in 2014 (coincidentally the year I moved to the area) but it was only in 2019 they started up their current brewery restaurant, near Waverley on Queen East. During the Covid-19 pandemic I'd known they were doing delivery for their beers, but only passing by this past week did I realize that certain days of the week, for certain hours, they were offering takeout pizza as well.

Well! Hot damn. If you've followed any of my work the past couple years, you won't be surprised how intrigued I was by this. The next day their pizza oven was open for business, I walked on over and re-began my endless quest anew.

First of all, I checked online and they have an incredible deal: their Vallarta pizza and a tall boy six pack of their A-Bay pale ale (their flagship brew) for 27 bucks (or thirty with tax). Seeing as during my previous pizza quests I more-than-once spent twenty-seven bucks (tax and tip in) on just a pizza, without any beer to show for that... well shut up and take my money.

The pie itself is quite nice. It's straightforward, no fancy frills but the quality overall is strong. The soft, slightly sour crust/dough has agreeable texture, and a thick enough foundation to hold the contents resting above. You get your standard tomato sauce fare, with a hint of sweetness to nudge it away from generic territory into something more interesting and worthy of note. Likewise the toppings won't blow your mind, but the pepperoni is juicy and a thicker cut, the bacon crunchy (and real) with a hint of garlic scattered about (maybe not as much as I'd like but I'm an insane garlic lover).

This is a good, satisfying pizza. Maybe on the small side, but it's filling (inbetween binging snack and light dinner) and the price is reasonable (or ridiculously awesome with the six-pack deal). Like the beer, it's a smooth, agreeable experience that won't blow your mind but hits the right spot. If you're in the area, I recommend either one but strongly recommend both at once.


Pizza Quest Score: B  (probably top 45-55 in the city)