Family food: Brunch at Dundas W. trot spot
By Kelly Jones
http://charcuteriesundays.blogspot.com
If the purpose of this review were to evaluate the Black Hoof’s newest, simpler digs in terms of a destination for grown-up bohemian brunchers, the task before me would be simple. Hoof Café holds steady in my list of top 10 midday meal favourites.
And here’s why.
The space—with its white walls, large dark wood–framed window, mirrored tin ceiling—is aglow in natural light. A mishmash of cleverly merged refurbished cabinet doors behind the open bar and tucked-in stools, plus a collection of suspended Mason jar light fixtures, make fantastic conversation fodder. Packed-in tables of dark wood create a sense of conviviality between patrons.
Most of Hoof Café’s brunch menu, created by chef Geoffrey Hopgood, focuses on classics with a carnivorous twist. Pig tails and grits, say, or brioche French toast with a slab of foie gras, or hoof hash of smashed potatoes, tongue, spicy onions and poached eggs.
You don’t have to be an experimental foodie to appreciate the complexity of flavours in tongue grilled cheese ($12): paper-thin shavings of beef tongue, aged nutty provolone from Cheese Boutique, soft brie and kicky fermented pig salami. Sliced on the bias and skewered together on the plate with house-made pickle pieces (more pickle next time!), this beauty pleases peepers as well as palates.
What’s brunch without eggs Benny? Hoof’s version ($13) tops toasted halved biscuit with tender suckling pig, buttery, vinegar hollandaise and immaculately poached eggs. Rounding out the meal is a fistful of greens tossed in a judicious drizzle of white vinegar dressing and topped with three melt-in-the-mouth, chili-spiced fried pork skin pieces.
Caffeine enthusiasts get fired up about Hoof’s French press coffee (for a price: $4 and $5). Freshly squeezed juices fill the fruity quotient—pink grapefruit sweetened with brown sugar steals the show.
For parents with picky preschoolers on the look-out for a suitable site for family brunch, Hoof Café’s more experimental menu might pose problems. My kids, like many, would balk at the sight of a stack of pancakes topped with rabbit meat instead of fresh fruit and a dribble of syrup. (The only two options to get a thumbs up from my brood are toast, jam and goat butter or granola with goat yogurt.)
The extremely tight quarters, too, would be awkward if your toddler goes verbal with his curiosity about a nearby guest’s birthmark or your wee one just needs to wiggle. Car seat–carrying and stroller-navigating are out of the question.
Service varies. Our waiter on one visit showed such genuine friendliness that we felt ourselves his best friend by bill-time. A different server, during another visit, seemed so stressed out by the packed room that his suffering permeated our experience.
Debit and cash only.
923 Dundas Street West, (416) 551-8854
Kelly Jones is a freelance writer and editor of articles, reviews, websites, novels and board games. She teaches Food Writing at George Brown College. For her PostCity.com blog, Kelly explores Toronto restaurants with her kids in tow.
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