But not me
I'm smarter than that
I've worked it out
I've been stretching my mouth
to let those big words come right out
Another Tuesday... another Taste! This week we're visiting a spot I first heard about when undertaking my big bizarre fast food breakfast sandwich project (a project that, while fun and personally illuminating, seemed to not be as popular with certain readers who may have missed the point of concept. Seriously, those comments are a funny read... I had no idea any of my food reviews could inspire such incredulous disdain).
I haven't exactly had the craving for a breakfast sandwich since doing that list (unlike pizza, I can't eat those things every day)... but fortunately Masa Deli is far more than just a first-meal-of-the-day hub. Started up by Reza Azucena, who himself had a hand in operating Gold Standard (featured highly on my breakfast sammy list), Masa Deli (in conjunction with Housecoat Coffee) opened up in a tiny space a bit under three years ago on Dovercourt just off of Hallam Avenue. Housecoat eventually ceased service by the end of 2023 but Masa Deli proved popular enough to continue on solo, with Azucena's compact menu becoming a new reason to visit that charming neighbourhood.
Meanwhile in Leslieville, east end fish and chip stalwart Reliable once again turned off their fryers at the corner of Queen East and Verral Avenue (they'd notably closed and reopened half a decade earlier), this time for good. Seeing an opportunity in an area he'd grown fond of, Azucena quickly jumped on the vacant space and expanded Masa Deli eastward... opening up this second location this past summer. The larger kitchen here (though still rather lacking spaciously) allowed Azucena to expand his menu at this location a tiny bit, giving his Salvadorian roots a chance to shine through by adding tortas, empanadas, beef fat fries and even a plantain burrito.
As mentioned the space is rather tight (that baby carriage took up at least a third of the available floor space) and much like the Dovercourt location their hours are not ideal for a notorious night howling owl such as myself. The Leslieville location at least graces an extra spin around the clock (closing down at the late hour of 4pm)... which for me still proved a close shave as I had to take the infamous Queen streetcar (naturally, this was a day it was diverting north for some suddenly announced vague reason). Somehow I did manage to make it to Masa Deli with ten minutes to spare, although eating my food inside here was no longer possible now. Damn you 501! Dammnnnnnn youuuuuu!!!!!*
*Yeah I think the Queen car has done far, far worse to all of us
The wait for my food was not an extended one while my viewpoint out towards the passingsby of Queen Street East and Carlaw on a sunny September afternoon provided more than enough diversion. The mind can wander in such circumstances and I recalled indeed how several summers ago, I briefly worked at a similarly small restaurant just a few doors west from here. 'Rashers' was a bacon themed breakfast spot that was impossibly tight (with indoor seating somehow) but did made some mighty tasty sandwiches. A close friend of mine was the kitchen manager and brought me (desperate for work in the summers during those days) aboard for some part-time hours. This lasted about a month, as while I could expertly handle the customer facing aspects of the gig... the "having to also professionally prepare and cook food on a flat grill while dozens of delivery orders are piling up"... yeah. I'm simply not built for that kind of stuff. The semi-forgotten memories that pop into one's mind when staring off into a familiar stretch of town...
One definite positive to this part of town: quite a few accessible parks in which to sit down, eat, shoo away the September wasps (bastards!) and enjoy a waning sunny afternoon. I settled in with the Masa Deli order you see here: their beef barbacoa torta with a hefty side of their beef fat fries.
A comparison I've used once or twice before, but these Masa Deli fries are very similar to McDonald's fries. Close enough to almost be a clone, even. Except... these are actually delicious. A light crispiness throughout, mild oiliness, just a tiny pinch of salt... and most crucial of all they taste like real potatoes (always my biggest McD's complaint is how little it resembles actual food in the flavour department).
Just really damn tasty stuff here. Very simple, the texture is just right for a thin french fry... enjoyable to munch on from first bite to last, from steamy hot to cold.
This sandwich here however, the beef barbacoa torta, however... far from simple. An impressive mix of tastes, textures, spices and tongue tingles.
While this may not be the exact type of sandwich I'd seek out often... there's no denying that on its own merits this is straight up excellent. The beef itself is rather wet, the result of being slow cooked and stewed in its own juices for so long... yet it is far from watery in either texture or flavour. There's a sharpness and a peculiar maltyness to the beef, both sensations which also linger in the mouth nicely long after initial contact. While far from lean, the fattiness of the meat is hardly excessive. Much of the juices end up soaking into the bun anyhow, condensing the tenderness of the meatier bites. It isn't really a drippy sandwich, either... helped by that spongey kaiser-like bun holding it all together.
As damn tasty as that beef is, the supporting elements of this torta are really where some magic happens. Nothing all that crazy either: there's an acidic tomato salsa, some red cabbage slaw, a sharp hint of jalapeno (perhaps as part of that salsa) and a very lime-heavy spread of guacamole. Quite a lot going on, yet all these flavours work so nicely as an additional layer complimenting that savoury slow cooked, shredded beef. Each one of those toppings get a moment here and there to break through, otherwise they play as a symphony on your tongue within this little sandwich.
Like I said, these are flavours I seek out more in taco formation than on a sandwich... with the 'sandwich' part of this being its weakest link. That sort of hollow, airy dry, easily yielding type of kaiser bun doesn't completely work for me here... though I do see the merits of going in this more basic direction rather than a more flavoured/textured bread. Not that this lessened my enjoyment of the sandwich at all either... you can get away with the bun just being a "whatever" (and it's quite fresh too) when the flavours and textures within are this deep and fantastic.
Overall! I can't help but feel I ordered the wrong thing in regards to properly reviewing Masa Deli. A place that's especially known for their unique breakfast items (a burrito being the most popular among them) and so I decide to get a beef sandwich and fries. Sometimes my methods confuse even myself.
Someday soon I suspect I'll be making a second visit to Masa Deli to try that same breakfast burrito... and if the quality and flavours are on par with what I encountered here, I'd strongly suggest you go off and try it too. A definite recommendation from me on this one. Terrific taste that really has some depth to it in composition and spices... you can tell they put some care and skill into these recipes. Perhaps individually nothing here that you haven't tasted before but it's done in a package that you may not have yet encountered, if that makes sense. It does? Really? Phew.
Anyhow. Masa Deli is really good, the prices won't kick you in the gut (nobody wants that when they're hungry, or... ever) and I genuinely have very few negative things to say about my experience there. Um, their hours are annoying? Calling themselves a "deli" is somewhat misleading since they don't offer cold cuts or anything pork? The word "masa" itself has varied definitions? That's all I got. Check them out!
---
Tuesday Tune
This song has everything. An extremely 80s music video that still looks pretty cool, Tony Levin's brilliant and unique bass guitar work (achieved by him and drummer Jerry Marotta playing the bass strings with drumsticks, later known as "Funk Fingers") and obviously it's just an irresistibly catchy song. He performed it live when I saw him back in 2023 and was indeed one of the standout tunes in an exceptional show start to finish.
That's it for this week! Quick note: next week will be the last Tuesday review for a little while as I'm heading to Europe! I'm sure I'll check out some food there and possibly write some quick blurbs on the more interesting local cuisines I encounter, plus I have a handful of pizza reviews I want to have completed before I get on that flight... but until those and until next week, stay cool, stay safe and most of all don't spill that mustard.
