IN Toronto magazine

What’s up Parkdale? I can’t quite get used to the chic eateries littering my old haunt. When I was a student at the local legal clinic too many years ago, my supervising lawyer’s watering hole was the local bar and that was as upscale as it got. No patterned latte froth there.

But times, they are a-changing. Mildred’s Temple Kitchen and then School Bakery and Café snapped up choice real estate and voila — brunch in the-Liberty-Village-formerly-known-as-Parkdale.

This is good eating. School is packed on weekends, but endears itself by serving brunch all week long. The eats are creative, yummy, and fun.
Brad Moore, of Xacutti fame, has gone to town on the School theme. Apples on the tables (you get to be the teacher in this fantasy), 19 clocks set at 3:30pm hanging on exposed brick under broad wood beams, schoolbooks on the shelves, and lockers in the bathroom. Endless cartoons play on a big screen over the kitchen counter for those who can’t quite muster nostalgia for school days.

At lunch or dinner, don’t miss the irresistible sinfully delicious cerveza-battered onion rings, the lip-smacking galbi (served here as beef short ribs), and the hearty meatloaf with melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes and unexpected flavours. Moore and his kitchen take comfort food to a whole new level. If the baby greens with toasted pumpkin seed vinaigrette don’t come with your meal, order them as a side. The sides generally punch above their weight. Try one of the “Summer School” cocktails on the much-talked-about patio. Or, if you’re alcohol-free, the kumquat soda, mango lassi, or maple latte are well worth a nod.

For brunch, make sure you nab a few of the flaky flawless biscuits and at least one of the banana espresso chocolate chip mini-muffins. The crunchy French toast with orange infused honey and whipped brown sugar butter is as good as it sounds — remarkably.  And the spiced hot chocolate is some of the best in town.

At his best, Moore surprises with nuanced tastes that take School to new heights.  Enjoy.

SCHOOL 70 Fraser Ave. (416) 588-0005. schooltoronto.com.