Messis

This isn't based on a particular visit, but something more along my memories of the place over the years. I used to go fairly often, but now I usually go once a year. Most of my visits were at lunch, its a local for me because its on Harbord and close to the University campus. I do have some dinner visits. I also walk by the place a lot on the weekends, so i have a pretty good idea of what the saturday night dinner crowd is like.

The place is a medium size room. It's basically a rectangle, with some tables arranged around the room and with banquette running down the left wall of the place. I don't think there's anything really offensive about the room, but it might be kind of bland for some people. The floors are covered with broadloom. I'm not sure what they've got under there. The place was a pizzeria or something like that before, so its probably some pretty nasty shit, so they just took the easy out and covered it up. They do touch up the place from time to time, so it does look overly stale. The only thing that really bugs me are the coat hangers or more precisely the lack of them. I'm not into that hanging shit with the wires they have now.

They have a decent size patio in the summer as well. Its covered. Currently, they have this hedge of these evergreen shrubs that blocks the view of the street. Before they made the change to the patio you could see the street. Its not like the corner of Major and Harbord is going to be a major source of street traffic, but sometimes it feels like you in prison with pine tree bars. It takes away from the outdoor eating experience.

The crowd is really mixed. The lunch crowd tends to be university staff and faculty. Mostly toward the older end of the age range. Right now it's only open for lunches around christmas and for part of the summer, but they used to do the year thing before. The dinner crowd is quite varied. There are some young people who go, but there are a lot of old people (almost to the point of being a distraction). The price point for the restaurant is really reasonable given what they deliver, so I'm sure the old people gravitate to it like mosquitoes get attracted to light. I would also say its probably a "couple" restaurant. So if you see a hot chick there, its probably because some guy brought her there.

The lunch menu is pretty much the dinner menu, but cheaper.

One thing that is really good about the place is that whoever makes drinks (and this is true at either lunch or dinner) is competent. I have never been disappointed with a campari and soda that i've ordered here. The problem with a lot of places is that these people making drinks are into free pour, perhaps Cocktail is seminal movie in their lives, so they water down the campari to the point where it loses its bite, which defeats the whole purpose of having a bitter as an aperitif. But I suppose if Cocktail is seminal moment in modern cinema for someone they aren't really going to understand the point. One of the waiter's who works the lunches (a tall white guy, with some art work on his arm and an quartz tag) is pretty good and really professional. On one occasion the person I was with a lunch ordered a scotch on the rocks to start. After she sipped it she tried to complain because it wasn't "her scotch". He politely, but firmly told her that she did ordered a specific brand, so he used the well brand (teacher's, i don't know how people can drink that stuff). He was totally right. If you don't specify, you get the well brand. That's professional service.

They have a decent selection of wines from California, Australia and New Zealand. The prices are reasonable. Nothing I've ever had there is outstanding or memorable, but so many things have faded from memory I don't take that as a strong signal.

In terms of appetizers, I've tried pretty much everything that is not a green salad or a caesar salad. Some things that I've enjoyed over the years are the crab cakes, the goat cheese and walnut phyllo bundle and the calamari. The only thing that really bugged me was this tiger shrimp appetizer. My problem with it was that it wasn't cleaned shrimp so you had to take them out of the shell themselves. I know that the shrimp will be more flavorful when they're cooked in their shell, but it's really messy. When you trade off the hassle of eating them (i.e., getting them out of the shell) with the taste, it's just not worth the effort.

I don't really eat pasta when I eat out, so I can't comment on the pasta.

In terms of the entrees. Again, I've pretty much tried everything that they serve over the years:

• lamb shank, this is a bit of favourite. it comes covered in this sauce and served on a risotto. its kind of thing where you won't leave anything on your plate.

• duck breast. i like duck and they do a decent job here. if i remember right, they serve it with cranberries and mash potatoes.
  
• veal chop. this looks like something from the flintstones, when fred and barney go out to eat and there is this huge bone sticking out. I'd get it just for that experience.
  
• duck confit, this could be a favorite as well.
• cornish hen. this is yummy.
• atlantic salmon. this is ok. I'd only really have this is if I was worried about OD on red meat.
  
• rack of lamb, this is ok. i did hear someone complain about it once. he thought it was boring.
• black angus striploin with mash potatoes, how could you go wrong
• halibut steak, this is isn't on the regular menu but tends to be a special. this is worth trying this is really good. i'd take this over the salmon that they serve there.

The deserts are ok. I think the chocolate mousse cake, which is a fixture on the menu, would be my favourite. I think there might be more shifting of the deserts than the main menu. I can't say for sure because I often skip desert, unless I have advance notice that something is going to be really good.

I don't think that I've every complained about one of the entrees on the menu. The problem with the menu is that its pretty much the same menu year after year. So it can get kind of boring after a while. I don't think they make seasonal changes to the menu, so its pretty much the same thing except for some minor differences. This is one reason I don't like to go more than once a year. On the other hand, even though its boring you won't get disappointed by really bad food. Although the people can differ and debate what is good food, for the price point that they have the place is pretty solid.

I could live with eating the same thing over and over again, but what really compounds the negative experience is that the place can get loaded with old people on the busy nights. The tables are also packed kind of tightly so I mean there is only so much old people conversations that I can overhear that goes beyond ambient white noise.

Overall, the place is a solid value for the menu. But realistically this is place you take your parents if they're in town and you want to take them out or if you're going out in a large group as couples. In other words, this is not the sort of place where chicks go to eat before they go clubbing. If you want more of a younger crowd go Bodega the food will be done at a similar level of quality and price point.

The old people are a real concern because I think they really kill the atmosphere. The place is ok for the food, but if old people are concern for you as well then you should adjust the rating down from the passable level of 3.

Rating: 1 Bunny


Notes on the Bunny Rating System:

• 0 or no Bunnies, it's a waste of time; don't go.
• 1 Bunny, the place is worth checking out.
• 2 Bunnies, you should go out of your way to check out the place; the food is really good and the place is cool.
• 3 Bunnies, you absolutely have to go there; the food is exceptional and the place is really cool