Saturday, January 24, 2009

My kind of urban renewal




In an era of yet more big box sprawl, fortress-style architecture, and heritage building gutting, it's nice to see some genuine urban renewal involving one of the things I love most: breakfast.

I frequently enjoy the food at two relatively new diners in the inner city. Both feature fantastic home-cooked food (including an abundance of real vegetables and fruit), warm and friendly service, pleasant atmospheres, and a comfortable sense of genuineness that's so often lacking in ordinary suburban chain restaurants. You can tell these newcomers must be doing something right by the healthy number of mostly under-40 customers who flock there on weekends.

The Tallest Poppy is on Main at Logan. Enjoy their hearty breakfast scramble and homemade bread and marmalade (all of it made with locally sourced ingredients, where possible) in an open kitchen-style atmosphere.

The Black Sheep is on Ellice at Langside. Enjoy their fantastic goat cheese omelettes, potatoes or fruit while admiring the LPs on the piano, checking out the unique salt and pepper shakers (a different set on each table), and examining your Art Hive (a refurbished now-non-carcinogenic cigarette dispenser) purchase.

Brunch never tasted so good!


Photo: The Tallest Poppy (photo originally posted by 1ajs at http://skyscraperpage.com/)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks will check them out.

Ham n Eggs on Princess is a long time warrior in the area. Honest food for "greasy spoon' fans.

"Greasy spoon is a colloquial or slang term used in Britain and North America for small, especially cheap, archetypal working class restaurants or diners."

The Rise and Sprawl said...

Good post. I enjoy both of these places. You might also like to check out another establishment that is blazing new trails--Willow's Coffee House that recently opened at 32 Sutherland Ave. (near Annabella).

Restaurants and coffee shops are small operations, but these places are doing more to revitalize neighborhoods than almost all the hair-brained big-money schemes are.

Prairie Topiary said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely try out Willow's.