Weekly Lunch Pick
Caplansky’s
Toronto’s smoked meat mainstay has a hot new location and smokin’ lunch combo By Andrew Brudz
Where there’s smoke: Caplansky’s in-house smoker
makes for an excellent rendition of this classic deli
sandwich
Image credit: Matthew Fox
The place: Toronto’s last name in smoked meat has a vibrant new home at College and Brunswick, where local deli hero Zane Caplansky can be found chatting up the clientele. The space is cluttered and chaotic, as a deli should be, with a long bar, lots of chatter and placards assuring us, among other things, that the staff is “kicking it old shul.”
The crowd: A packed house, with tables full of vivacious seniors, students and faculty from nearby U of T, and business types coming to see what all the fuss is about.
The deal: An $11 lunch combo with choice of seven-ounce sandwich (smoked meat, smoked turkey, pickled tongue or beef brisket) and fries, soup or salad. The newly expanded menu also features such Jewish favourites as kishka, knishes and lox.
The meal: No soul should leave Caplansky’s without trying the famous house-smoked, hand-cut smoked meat. Fresh rye is stacked with three inches of medium-fat brisket that’s cured to perfection. The gingham-lined basket of crisp, skin-on fries has a generous (but not over-the-top) sprinkling of kosher salt. Every table is fully stocked with a selection of mustards, including spicy brown and sweet maple versions. To complete the diner experience, we delve into a sweet-tart slice of old-fashioned cherry pie ($5).
The time: 40 minutes, largely because we grab the last table before a long line forms.
The cost: $23, including tax, tip and a Cott’s black cherry soda.
Caplansky’s, 356 College St., 416-500-3852, caplanskys.com.
1 Comments
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Neither impressed with the article, nor the restaurant.
The food was not as tasty as the article would lead me to believe ( which is why I was not impressed with the article ) and was rather expensive for a deli lunch. And, we had to send the waiter back with the bill which was incorrectly overcharged.
I wouldn't bother going back.
Dan
November 4, 2009 | by danrcan