50 Lunches

Lunch #2: Avenue Open Kitchen

7 Camden St, Toronto, ON M5V 1V2

(416) 504-7131

I love diners. Greasy spoons of the "cheeseburger, cheeseburger" variety. DIners and their close cousins NY delis, "dining rooms," "family restaurants", fish and chip joints, and value steakhouses.. Downtown Toronto 25 years used to be teeming with them: everything from the Lite Bite (Queen & Spadina - my favorite), the Stem, Murray's, Switzer's, The Bagel, The Varsity, The New Varsity (another favorite), Student's, The Grad Restaurant, Fran's various locations, Al's (Queen & Duncan), Nick's (Queen & Duncan - am I right about these two?), Lindy's, the Tulip, Senior's, Mars, Kos, the Patrician, the Skyline, Sunset (it used to be just one location!), the Golden Gate/GOOF, Elvis Restaurant. They haven’t completely disappeared, but they’re getting close.

The Avenue Open Kitchen opened in 1983. I was introduced to it in early 1999 by by friend Dan Donaldson when I was working at Bruce Mau Design. I loved like I’ve loved almost no other restaurant and, as it turns out, from 1999 to 2010, when I left Bruce Mau Design, I ate there at least 1000 times. That sounds insane, even impossible, but it’s only an average of twice a week over ten years. Even counting for the years where we barely left the studio, and even counting for all the time I spent travelling, it’s still probably 1000 visits.

It’s tiny and cramped and comfortable, a little bit like some diners in New York, only a little more casual. As for the food, they make a great breakfast and they’re excellent with the basics - smoked meat, club sandwich, etc. - but I tend to get the entrees: blade or prime rib roast; shepherd’s pie; macaroni and cheese; beefaroni; pork chops; and other things along those lines.

I am very comfortable in such places and seek them out wherever I am. I believe that 900 of my 1000 visits have been alone, and that is almost my preference. I do always run into certain characters there. For example, I suspect architect John Shnier has been to the Avenue even more times than I have and, when he he lived and worked in the area, the same was true of Jason Halter.

If you’re willing to go to lunch with me, I will always be happy to go to the Avenue.

(As far as this list is concerned, this is the farthest from the AGO that we will venture.)