Foodwares @ the Bay
176 Yonge St, Toronto
(416) 861-9111
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I was utterly lost in the maze-like labyrinth that is the Bay when I saw what appeared to be a restaurant in the basement concourse. I approached the grill area and was reminded of a tumbleweed rolling along empty plains as absolutely nobody was there.Eventually a young man who apparently worked there came to the counter. I asked him about the "Brisket Burger" for 9.99. He answered "it's just a burger". I enquired further, asking what the "brisket" referred to and he shrugged, saying "yeah, well......, it's really just a burger".In hindsight, that should have been my cue to run far far away, as if I could ever find the exit in that confusing underground pit of overpriced consumer goods.Instead, I boldly ordered the burger and tried to steel my courage when a burnt lump of meat was thrown on the grill. It was black around the edges and had the flavour and appearance of a very overcooked potato. The young man struggled with balancing my basic toppings on the burger to the point I had to suggest that the gigantic (larger than the patty) piece of lettuce was the cause of his inability to make a sandwich that actually resembled a burger in shape.During this time, my fiancé had wandered over to the soup section and selected some clam chowder. I asked the young man if there was a combo that included a soup as a side to the burger. He said no, but that the soup only cost 1.50 or perhaps 3.50 for a large.I took my burnt, sad, misshapen burger to the front along with the soup.The cashier rings up the soup for 5.50. I ask about the pricing and she says it's 5.50 for a small soup. Her tone was somewhere between apathetic and sharp, indicating I should have known this already, despite there being no employees or marked signs anywhere to be found in the soup area. I resigned to my fate and paid the bill, which was almost 20 dollars for a tiny soup and tiny burger with a huge piece of lettuce.We finally went to sit in the "restaurant" and enjoy our meal. I would place the burger among the worst I have ever eaten in my life. Dry, flavourless and burnt, served with toppings that were both old and misshapen. My fiancé made a good effort to pretend the soup was serviceable, but eventually surrendered her opinion that it was incredibly bland. If you've had clam chowder at Red Lobster, that is considerably superior, and to be clear I think of the Red Lobster clam chowder as a salty 5/10 at best.To add insult to injury, after leaving this cursed place I walked down the hall to look at kitchen supplies (The only reason we came down to that floor before I was led astray by "foodwares") and at the very end of the hall was another burger place run by Pusateri's which clearly would have been worlds better.It is not an exaggeration to say there is literally no reason to eat here. It is overpriced, the food is beyond horrid, and it's staffed by people who treat you as if you are a huge inconvenience. One gets the impression they are there only as a result of losing a particularly terrible bet or after making an illicit deal with the devil, which are the only circumstances which should lead to you being there as well.
Grill area doesn't list the premium toppings (cheese, avocado) that are available on the menu or their cost. When I asked about them at the topping selection stage after I already paid I was told "they're extra". So the burger which is 9.99 comes with basic condiments and toppings only. Very dry, definitely not "brisket". Fries were bland and soft.
Great place when down there. Prices are more reasonable than Pusateris and the staff seem to be very happy. The Chef (Kevin) is a pretty cherry guy, always smiling and happy to talk about the food they make from scratch. One of the few places you'll find that even though they sell trendy food, they are still dating enough to sell bacon wrapped meatloaf with good ol mashed potatoes. Sometimes I'm just craving that!
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