I was delighted to discover a diner yesterday that I could add to my list of Grade A approved eateries - the Purple Onion Steakhouse on the east side of Keele Street just south of St. Clair! Both the building and the decor are perhaps unchanged from the fifties, right down to the counter and the Hamilton Beach milkshake mixer. An inconspicuous print combining images of the Three Stooges, Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin has at some point been added in an effort to reinforce the "diner" image with yuppies incapable of appreciating the real thing.
I found the breakfast plates combining either bacon, sausages, pancakes and homefries with eggs or else bacon, sausages, ham, hamburger pattie and homefries with eggs extremely tempting but I was determined to compare the quality of the steak with that of the Tulip Restaurant on Queen Street East. I wasn't disappointed! The garlic bread and mashed potatoes included in the price were an added plus but the coup-de-grace was the side order of fried onions and mushrooms to which I treated myself! Mmm, mmm, good! A tough meal to top indeed!
What troubles me, however, is that a gem like the Purple Onion should have been mentioned sooner! Some of you TERBites were clearly holding out on the rest of us!
I found the breakfast plates combining either bacon, sausages, pancakes and homefries with eggs or else bacon, sausages, ham, hamburger pattie and homefries with eggs extremely tempting but I was determined to compare the quality of the steak with that of the Tulip Restaurant on Queen Street East. I wasn't disappointed! The garlic bread and mashed potatoes included in the price were an added plus but the coup-de-grace was the side order of fried onions and mushrooms to which I treated myself! Mmm, mmm, good! A tough meal to top indeed!
What troubles me, however, is that a gem like the Purple Onion should have been mentioned sooner! Some of you TERBites were clearly holding out on the rest of us!
