| rev:text
| - I am frankly not versed with the Boxcar Social concept, having never been to their original uptown Yonge Street location. So when they opened a second location in my neighbourhood, I was like, "oh great, the continued western gentri-invasion of the east end Toronto."
And having visited this a few times enough, I feel I got a good sense of what this place is all about. Or not.
First and foremost, from the cliche exposed-brick-and-wood-heavy modern industrial decor, to the mural up a wall, the separate coffee tasting bar at one corner, and even the espresso machine with their name brightly glowing, an awful lot of attention has been placed in creating an atmospheric brand that is Boxcar Social. It is designed to attract their target fish of well-monied hip young urban professionals, and no surprise you'll find plenty here chatting or staring their busy lives away on laptops. It's a fine big space to sip some coffee and doze off.
But here's what I figured out quickly: Boxcar is not just a business that totally embraces the ambiguous trendy cafe+bar model in the most ambiguous and trendy way possible, it is one hell of a CONNOISSEUR'S cafe/bar, more so than any other place I have been. Imma Pokemon connoisseur and quite a beer connoisseur too. But not a coffee connoisseur at all (heck, it is not really my cup of tea). So it comes at a surprise to learn just how seriously drinks are taken here. They employ staff who can be excessively knowledge of all the coffee and alcohol currently available to serve. I'm sure they can recite a Ph.D dissertation of where in Ethiopia this new batch of beans came from and how it was produced and what micro-level hints of flavours you shall experience, and do offer tastings (apparently the new preferred term for this in the food world is "flights") of various coffees. At least they are not dicks about it if all you want is a simple latte and do not want to turn your coffee decisions/discussions into a Portlandia sketch. People rave about their coffee like it's a celebrity meal, so I suppose it's good as it gets.
To be honest, maybe it's a bit intimidating, but it's not so bad and pretentious after all if you are coming in in the daytime and lose yourself in a cup of joe. In the night however when young professionals switch their preferred fuel from caffeine to alcohol, is where Boxcar completely lost me out on their concept.
The connoisseur's business mentality extends well to their selection of beers, wines and whiskeys, where they rotate their servings to bring you the best of the world, with such weekly frequency (which is to say what's on tap today may not be there next week) that I wonder how is this possible? Oh, I see, the tiny $8 glass of beer that's not even anywhere near a full proper pint? Gee whiz! Plus I find the personable staff seem less personable at night--the bartenderista (whats else should I call them?) that's bored with handling the 5 only people in the shop gets disinterested after attempting to strike a convo with me and I go on about a baseball game I just attended, doesn't strike me as bearing the same non-snotty vibe I felt in the daytime. The bar part of a cafe+bar schema comes off to me as forever awkward anyhow, and holy cow the well-lit high ceiling space suddenly becomes loud with hipster music and nearly pitch dark. As a bar, atmosphere wise it's quite boring. (I prefer bars with a TV, or at least some food, and this has neither.)
Boxcar is pretty expensive. Aside from the high prices for inadequate servings of suds, amongst other things, I noticed hot chocolate is around $4 (I never tried it nor asked what's the story with the choc). And tea--here is what the hell is that? What am I paying for here, the custom-printed glassware? If rates keep gentrifying like that, I might as well retire to Port Union, Scarborough! Moreover, they have very little of anything to eat, which isn't a big deal for me, but may be to some yuppie looking to finish a report over the afternoon here.
Point being, Boxcar Social is a go-to place for coffee snobs and the usual cafe vibe if that's your thing (though I prefer other places around the block). But once the sun sets, you'd more likely find me either next door at County Cocktail, or pounding beer flights in my own basement.
{TTC: any Queen streetcar to Boulton/Saulter Aves. Alternatively for those on a King car, get off at Broadview and haul ass an eastern block.}
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