ARTS & CULTURE
Monday, January 19, 2015 15
Jurisfoodence
» continued from page 9
become ok? As soon as we find a brunch spot that
offers reasonably priced drinks, I’ll be all over the
Caesars. Until then, I’m boycotting on principle.
The Food
K ate: I got the frittata, which had roasted red peppers, onions, and goat cheese in it; it came with a
slice of bread and yet another breakfast salad, and I
ordered a side of root vegetable hash. Expecting that
I would get a slice of a larger frittata, I was surprised
when I was given an entire skillet to myself; though
this would normally be great, it was so bland that I
didn’t want to eat more than half of it. The toast and
side hash were good, and the breakfast salad was
by far the best that I’ve had so far – it actually had
dressing on it! All in all, a very average meal.
My BC is, in Karolina’s words, a French Toast connoisseur, so he got the Cinnamon French Toast on
raisin bread; it came with bacon and chillies. I can
attest to its deliciousness, and his only complaint
was that there were only two pieces and he was still
hungry once he had finished.
K a rolin a: Alas, my vegetarianism occasionally
morphs into pescatarianism. I knew I didn’t stand
a chance when a saw a smoked salmon benny on the
menu. So that’s what I went with, and it was amazing. The salmon was smoked, but somehow also
cooked. This may betray my culinary ignorance, but
I wasn’t aware that it was possible to serve smoked
salmon that wasn’t raw. Anyway, the salmon had a
great taste and managed not to overpower the rest
of the sandwich. The Hollandaise sauce was absolutely delicious. Hollandaise sauces can be excessively greasy, or just taste like butter, but this one
was flavourful and indulgent in just the right measure. The biscuit was also good, but the root vegetable hash was something of a let down. It came in
a tiny portion, and although the idea of yam hash
sounds great, I found myself craving some good ol’
potatoes. The seasoning was also bland and added
nothing, I thought.
Since there were no pancakes on the menu to
appease him, my brunch companion ordered the
friend chicken and waffles and was stricken with a
bout of fairly severe food poisoning for the rest of the
day. It’s troubling that a restaurant of the notoriety
and calibre of the Drake would serve such food. It
further contributed to the rather lacklustre impression I was left with.
ê A disappointing main course was left upstaged by the accompanying toast and greens.
K arolina: I think the Drake falls prey to the Paris
phenomenon – an experience so mythologized and
touted as “the best ever,” that it somehow manages
to disappoint, despite being perfectly pleasant and
acceptable. The Drake was indeed slightly less than
what I expected, and though I’m lukewarm about
the whole experience, I have to say nothing stands
out as a significant shortcoming (I’m not the one that
was in bed sick all day, mind you). In the end, I feel
about the Drake much as I do about WQW in general
– I could take it or leave it. u
fin a l SCORE
service: 3/5
atmosphere: 3/5
food: 3/5
overall:
Cost:
K ate’s me a l: Coffee + Frittata + side of hash =
$22.88 plus tip.
K arolina’s meal: Coffee + Smoked salmon benny =
$21.57 plus tip.
Final thoughts
K ate: Because the dinner I had at The Drake was
incredible, I was expecting to be blown away by
their brunch. However, though the experience
was, on the whole, a good one, it was pretty average. I would say that it meets the criteria of what I
had hoped every brunch experience would achieve.
I would go again and get the French Toast.
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