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| - It is said that "Art lies in the eye of the beholder." I couldn't agree more.
After a heavy Italian lunch at Il Gatto Nero, and wandering around Kensington Market, we were looking for a little mid-afternoon 'pick me up' in the form of a caffeinated beverage.
This place would by no means have been by first choice, but China Town by Spadina and Dundas is completely devoid of Coffee places.
Art Square Cafe was like coming upon an oasis in the desert. "Yes! Espresso S'il vous plait."
I was a bit confused about the layout. It looked like a coffee shop to me, but I was promptly reminded that it was a 'restaurant' after I went to the counter to order and was banished back to my seat. "Sit down, and we'll bring it to you."
Their deserts were bizarre. All they had were biscotti, which I don't like. And a vast assortment of little chocolate balls. I was hoping for a good cookie or something. I decided to pass.
After waiting at least ten minutes, during which I fought the urge to walk out, our drinks finally arrived. Espresso was expensive - $3.5 for a double shot.
Before we left I went down to the strangest washroom ever. It is downstairs through a labyrinth of twists and turns.
As the Art Square Cafe is right across the street from the AGO, they had various forms of uninspiring 'art' for sale.
Above our table were three small paintings that looked like feces smeared on a canvas. But to be fair they were only $400 each.
There were also some generic blurry pictures of female bodies in graceful poses. I liked these a bit more, but they were frankly nothing special. They looked vaguely like knock off of something by Da Vinci. $2,000 each.
The kicker was some sculptures on the tables. They were hollow shapes made out of wires to resemble vines. Cool! I actually liked these ones. There was a sphere, and a cylinder. On my way out I checked the prices, and they were like $12,000 each.
They're the kind of thing you could expect to see in an arts and crafts shop in Port Hope for $250. Or maybe some factory in China could mass produce them for $50 each. We're talking wires molded into common three dimensional shapes.
It reminded me of reading an article in the news about a year ago that the cost of living was too high in Toronto. Agreed. However the proof they used was an interview with a local 'artist' who was complaining that his $2000/month 2 bedroom apartment was too expensive.
At the time I was living in a 3 bedroom on Danforth Avenue costing about $1250 and I thought: "What is this guy talking about?" Anyone who has rented in Toronto and done a bit of research knows there are plenty of 2 bedrooms around the $1000 mark. Or god forbid, if you don't have a stable income - take something cheaper.
There is definitely some kind of disconnect between the artistic community and reality as the rest of us know it. $12,000 for a wire sphere? $2,000 apartments?
Suffice to say, I won't be returning to the Art Square Cafe. It was pretentious without justification. Plus their menu was very strange, and the help wasn't friendly. Nothing except biscotti and chocolate balls! You may be seated!
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