The best part of living in Toronto is the abundance of food choices!!! The multicultural nature of our city provides delicious food of all types and I intend to try them ALL. I've lived in Bloor West Village for over two years now and have been slowly working my way through the yummy restaurants the hood has to offer.
The BEET Organic Cafe has made its home in a old converted bank building and actually has pretty cool lofts right above it. It's located in the Junction, a cute artistic neighborhood just north of High Park and I headed there a couple weeks ago with my veggisaurus sister. One great feature is the cute little side patio perfect for sipping on my favorite beer: Mill St. Organic. Score.
A certified nutritionist and a homeopathic doctor are co-owners of The Beet and their vision is to get optimum nutrition while still creating deliciousness. They use fresh, organic certified and local produce whenever possible and their packaging is biodegradable. This is pretty neat for anyone like me who feels extremely guilty carrying home a Styrofoam takeout container (even though I recently found out you can now recycle those babies in Toronto).
On to the food! The menu is just the right size and they have specials everyday that are posted on their website in case you are waffling on where to go for lunch. We tried some amazing smoothies and I had the Upbeet - Fair Trade cocoa & espresso, blackberries, dash of cayenne. I know it sounds a little weird, but the cayenne added this amazing spiciness to it that was delicious. The only thing I can think to compare it to is the spicy Mayan hot chocolate at SOMA in the Distillery district, which is awesome by-the-way.
Next we shared two sandwiches: Buenos Dias - Avocado, spicy black bean spread, quinoa, tomato, caramelized onions & raw cheddar cheese with a fresh side salad, and Grilled Cheese and Local Apple - Raw Quebec cheddar, Raw Swiss emmental & sliced local apple with yummy spiced pumpkin soup. We promptly went halfsies on both to maximize the sampling experience. Voila, one of my tastiest lunches:
The grilled cheese was to die for, the crispy apple totally made it happen. I loved the soup as I am a fan of all things in the pumpkin/squash family. The wrap I discovered had cilantro in it, which ruined it a bit for me... we do not get along. My sister on the other hand loves cilantro and loved it, so all was not lost. Altogether a yummy adventure and the best part came at the end. I used the bathroom for the first time! You may think this weird, but a pretty and clean bathroom totally makes an impact on me. I think it really shows how much a place values their customer's comfort. It inspired me so much I couldn't resist snapping a picture.
Cute right? My neighborhood is full of hipster stay-at-home mommies and daddies and the change table is adorable and thoughtful. Yeah, my hood is awesome. Happy Eating!
