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| - Many years ago, I moved to an apartment in the middle of the city. I lamented the lack of affordable dining options, specifically a spot for an inexpensive, greasy spoon style breakfast. Sure, I had McDonalds and Timmies and Starbucks nearby, but shouldn't there be an option somewhere between a $5 McMuffin combo and a $20 white-tablecloth affair? Sometimes a guy wants to roll out of bed, pick his jeans up off the floor, and cure his ills with bottomless (good) coffee and bacon+eggs.
Some years (and a temporary move to the 'burbs) later, I'm back in the heart of the city and loving almost every minute of it. I'm not far from the Eglinton strip, and while I'm often dismayed at the carnage new streetcar construction has inflicted on local businesses (stops to pour one out for House of Chan, Tasty Chinese, Ken Fong and others), I welcome those brave enough to set up shop west of Avenue Road.
Hazel's is one of those brave souls.
Hazel's opened around the time I moved back downtown, and has been busy ever since. It's an outpost of a mini chain of diners, more upscale than Wimpy's with higher prices (although a $7 bacon and egg early bird special is good value). A sandwich board outside promises a variety of breakfast specials with exotic ingredients. Great stuff, but if I want a diner I want a grease transfusion.
My introduction to Hazel's is sub-optimal. Meeting my folks for breakfast on a snowy winter morning, we are told that we have to leave my kid's stroller outside, in the middle of a busy street, with no way to secure it against a rash of thefts in the area. After much back and forth, they reluctantly agree to let us keep it inside at the table, if we forgo a high chair and feed our very busy baby in our laps. We want to order the baby some fruit-a half portion, since we know we will be cleaning most of it off the floor before we leave. This sets off another round of extensive bargaining. More trouble than it's worth.
Coffee arrives quickly; it's hot and fresh, and refilled often without having to flag a server down. Breakfast itself is a bit of a wait, which is surprising since we're the first people there.
When food arrives, it's generally good. Scrambled eggs are fluffy and loose, as requested. Bacon is burnt to hell, as is my preference. Sausages are thick and bronzed and filling, presented with a choice of hot sauce (breakfast needs to hurt a little).
Pancakes admirably soak up syrup while maintaining a crisp edge. My mom orders onion rings. I don't know why. They're really good, though; golden and crunchy outside, with yielding oniony centres.
The biggest sore point are the potatoes. Full disclosure: I am not generally a potato fan, and for breakfast vastly prefer American style crispy shredded hash browns to the.starchy under cooked chunks I often see here. Hazel's are definitely on the starchy, under cooked chunk side. Even requested "super well done" they need a visit to the deep fryer and a good hit of salt. I could slather them with hot sauce and ketchup, but really they're a drag on the meal and a waste of precious carbohydrates.
The bill arrives quickly, although change lags. Notwithstanding the surprising issues accommodating new parents (I like to think I'm not one of those unreasonably demanding parents who hovers over his precious snowflakes, but surely there's a place to fit a stroller or two so they're usable when we leave), service is pleasant, and we leave full and happy.
If you're wondering Which Hazel's you should visit. I vote for this one.
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