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| - About 25 years ago, on a cross country road trip, me and a friend ended up in Toronto for a few weeks. Since we didn't have much cash, we rarely went to 'fancier' places. So it was a real treat when we walked into a well-appointed Hungarian place and ordered what I remember was a 'Transylvanian Wooden Platter". The platter was as advertised, wooden, and huge and loaded with schnitzel. Two steak knives were driven into the top - the knife handles were stacked to the limit with onion rings. It was a memorable meal.
I recently was reminded of this when I came across an article on Torontoist celebrating the days when Toronto had a big Hungarian food scene which was known cheekily as "the goulash archipelago" The article triggered a long dormant sense memory.
http://torontoist.com/2015/03/vintage-toronto-ads-a-taste-of-hungary/
But it turns out that one of the last of these Hungarian places is Country Style. And although it isn't the same place I went to all those years ago, I decided that we needed to check it out.
Our visit started out a bit rough. It was a cold night this past January and we had been walking all over with a couple of visitors from out of town. We were cold and hungry and had already missed the place and walked several blocks out of our way. When we went in it was very busy and we had to wait by the front door. We were approached promptly and told there was a 15-20 minute wait. There were 5 of us - so a bad number to get a table at the best of times. We watched as parties of two came and went, and the parties at bigger tables lingered over conversation and wine dregs - their plates long since finished. The time past slowly, the aromas and sights of food mocked us. It wasn't Country Style's fault that I was so hungry, but I was getting very annoyed. After more than 45 minutes I was starting to rally the team to leave in a huff. But miraculously a table freed up. Once seated the service was friendly and efficient. All my previous aggravation melted away with the first glass of Hungarian red.
As a group we ordered a nice selection of the menu and it was all very satisfying. The schnitzel is great, the fried potatoes are awesome, spatzle dumplings are tasty. The platter for two is very reminiscent of that platter I had all those years ago - knives sticking out from a pile of food. A good time was had by all and we immediately talked of a return trip.
Since we had lots of time to stand checking out the other patrons, we noted that the crowd that visits Country Style is curious. It really feels like a lot of long time regulars, mixed with inter-generational groups, family units, and a smattering of curious hipsters.
This is a long way around to say that the food and the service and the feeling of the room, really turned our chilly moods around. We grabbed a couple of strudels on the way out and had them the next day. They were very good.
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