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| - Living in the St. Clair W. area I've passed by De Sotos a few times and have been curious enough to put the place on my 'To Do' list. Having seen a sign out front the establishment advertising weekend Brunch I decided to head down this past Saturday just after noon to sample their fares.
De Sotos is a very comfortable establishment to eat and/or drink in. It has a warm restro-pub feel to it. I can easily see it as a good neighborhood hang out spot. It is much classier than the many whole-in-the-wall establishments heading east toward Oakwood and yet is not as expensive as some of the Italian restaurants near Dufferin.
For brunch I was looking at eating something unique to the establishment, like their Stirred Eggs Helene (2 eggs over easy baked with a ragout of tomato, bacon and mushroom, topped with pesto served with toast), however the waiter recommended the Eggs Benedict as being freshly made and a favorite of the clientèle. Benny it is then. The food arrived, timely, just as the jazz duo started their second set. Oh, I forgot to mention, this was a "Jazz Brunch." I can't imagine any more of a creature comfort than eating brunch in a warm establishment with live Jazz playing. Delightful. Seriously, bring a date.
The food was good. In fact I found the Eggs Benny to be one of the better in Toronto. The hollandaise sauce was perfect and noticeably homemade. Perhaps my only small disappointment was that the home-fried potatoes were pealed and blanched in a fryer before being pan fried to order. It seemed to me that with a well made Benny, with fresh hollandaise sauce, should be accompanied by baked potatoes that are then cut and pan fried in herbs and olive oil. I actually recommended this to the waiter who was serving me whilst trying not to be a food snob or risk a visit from an angry, butcher knife wielding cook. "Just a suggestion." I said with a smile while feeling guilty about being a food critic.
Most definitely I will be back for Brunch again, as well as for dinner and/or late night drinks when the mood strikes me. I'm glad to have discovered the place and anticipate it being a local haunt. So far my experience is positive, De Sotos is a warm and friendly establishment with good food and service.
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