Dirty Pots & Pans

Posted On: Tuesday, June 28 2011

A few weeks ago, I started craving waffles like nobody's business. At first I tried to ignore it, but it was futile to resist the temptation. Instead of fighting it, I decided to dispatch an email to all my foodie friends, whom I trust.

The restaurant that seemed to keep coming up in conversation was this place called "Starving Artist" at Lansdowne & Bloor (1 block north of Lansdown Station). I had to see what all the fuzz was about and seeing as this was now turning into a major craving, they would have lots of to live up to.

When we first arrived, we were greeted with the "Please wait to be seated" sign. The place was BUSY and seemed fairly short-staffed, but it's a small business and as long as they weren't rude, it's pretty forgivable. I mean *something* must be going on here if there are THIS many people are here. When things calmed down we were taken to a seat out on the patio.

Starving Artist has a nice, but simple decor. Art on the wall reminded me of various pieces that I've seen my friends produce over the years. Laden with images of robots and bright colours. The modern contemporary art, lent heavily to the entire vibe of the place.

When it came time to order, I decided on "The Hitchhiker" (10 bucks) which consisted of: 2 mini waffles, cheesy scrambled eggs, 4 pieces of caramelized bacon, fruit salad and greens. My wife had the "Starving 4 Waffles" (8 bucks) - 4 "mini" waffles with butter, fruit salad and greens.

The waffles were divine to say the least. I've actually never tasted anything so delicious before. These so-called "mini" waffles, were hardly mini and had such a texture to them I wasn't sure if I was eating breakfast or dessert. They were light and airy, yet were still very filling. With the right amount of sweetness and cooked to perfection. My cheesy scrambled eggs were very home-made tasting. More of an omelette than scrambled, but this is usually the case at most restaurants. Now I was very curious as to what this "caramelized bacon" tasted like. Mouth watering, I gave it a shot and WHOA! WTF was that? Crispy, yet soft (probably made ahead) and the flavour? Oh, my. The flavour reminded me of bacon cooked with bacon, in some kind of bacon with more bacon added. Yes, it was like fortified bacon and I'm really surprised I didn't order more on the side, but the portion of my own breakfast was enough to quell any appetite.

All in all, I'd give Starving Artist a 4/5. They could use a bit more staff, but once we were seated we weren't forgotten about. the Starving Artist is now on top of my list for waffles in Toronto. I will be back!

http://www.starvingartistbar.com/Welcome.html
584 Lansdowne Ave
Toronto, ON M6H 3Y9