When I am confronted with a disappointment, I tend to get my mood improve faster when in the company of a good friend. That was the case last week when the food event I was supposed to go to didn’t go as planned. I was with my EyeCandyTO business partner, Abe Wornovitzky. We tend to sort out the kinks in a bad situation fast with optimism that any predicament can be improved if we choose it to be. Now a good meal just seals the deal faster. ;)
From across the street, the façade of San Francesco just begged me to walk in. I have a weakness for retro signs and diner looking designs. I should have taken a picture of the signage but just give it a peek at Queen St West and you would understand what I mean. Walking in, there were ample seating out in the front and half of one side was lined with pizza ovens and a flat top grill. I was particularly smitten with the mural on the wall of black and white images of Toronto, clearly depicting how old an institution San Francesco was. I wish I can take a pic of the collage but there was no way of doing the totality of it.
What is most fun dining with Abe is that I get to taste more than I usually do. Looking at the menu, we decided to get three sandwiches to split so we can try a few items. We opted for Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken and Pulled Beef. We were imagining the sandwiches to be regular sized but what we got were big buns I was half repentant on ordering three sandwiches. Two was more than enough.
After the series of pictures, I tried the Eggplant Parmigiana first. I always have a weakness for eggplant that I would choose it over meat sandwiches. And it really delivered in taste. It was a big bite of eggplant in a zesty tomato sauce with the perfect zing of jalapeños. Eating two-thirds of my half, I place it down to try the pulled beef. I don’t think I can finish it and hope to taste the pulled beef and then the chicken sandwich. Between the eggplant parmigiana and the pulled beef, I still side with the eggplant. I must say that I didn’t really get to taste the chicken sandwich no matter how inviting it looked. I just didn’t have the space for it in my full tummy.
The pit stop definitely improved the end of my day. It was indeed a gem of a find.
Food Trippin' 
Posted on March 31, 2015
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