Food Adventure #6: BIG CROW (176 Dupont St.)
Kate: Karolina and I decided that since our last brunch adventure was such a hit (though, technically, the restaurant was a miss), she would be my official brunch companion for the rest of the year. Per her suggestion, we decided to check out Big Crow, which is run by the owners of Rose and Sons and Fat Pasha in a small tent-like structure directly behind R&S. There is no sign (at least that I could see – we have established that law school has made me blind), so I found myself wandering into R&S to ask for directions. Let me save all of you the confusion: there are concrete steps to the right side of Rose and Sons – head to the white building in the back.
Karolina: Big Crow is indeed hard to find. Were it not for the instructions Kate texted to me as I walked over, I would’ve arrived even later than I already did. But experience has taught me that all the places worth seeing (and worth being seen at, for that matter) lack ostensible signage. It was partly for this reason that I expected great things from Big Crow, but also because wandering into alleyways and entering unmarked sheds as a prelude to brunch added a just enough whimsy and pseudo-clandestineness to set our meal off on good footing.
Brunch Hours
Big Crow is open for brunch from 11-3 on Saturdays and Sundays. Hopefully you aren’t an early riser, or you may need some pre-brunch sustenance.
Wait Time/Service
Kate: When I was checking out the menu for Big Crow a couple of days before we went, I discovered that it takes reservations – a first of any of the restaurants I have checked out thus far. If you aren’t a planner, you would still likely be able to find a seat, because there were a few empty tables the whole time we were there.
Karolina: The empty tables were perturbing, especially considering (spoiler alert) how incredible the food was. I’m almost hesitant to write this review at all, simply because I’m worried that the lack of patrons can be attributed to few people knowing about this place (it just opened in July), and I don’t want to give away what I regard to be Toronto’s best kept brunch secret. But so much for that.
Kate: I didn’t realize it was so new! I no longer feel that slight bit of shame for, you know, having to ask where the restaurant was. Once we were seated, it only took an hour between when we ordered and when we left – half as long as last week. Our server was extremely friendly and attentive, and refills of water and coffee (when ordered – see below) came in good time. The server kind of reminded me of Cam from Modern Family?
Karolina: I could see that, but I would describe him more like Cam with an edge. His acid wash Canadian tuxedo, studded fedora, and rattail hairstyle reflected the casual but carefully curated atmosphere of Big Crow. He neglected to ridicule my enthusiastic photo-documentation of the food and the restaurant, for which I am eternally grateful.
Kate: How did I miss the rattail?! So disappointed. He actually seemed kind of thrilled when you asked to take pictures…
Atmosphere
Kate: I thought that Big Crow was going to be in a tent, and piled on layers thinking it would be cold, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was warm inside. The atmosphere was really warm and inviting: it is furnished with long picnic tables, each bench covered in throw blankets; there is also a huge fireplace and an open kitchen, so you can watch your food being prepared on the barbeque. They also play pretty decent music, and it was loud enough inside that there was no fear of a repeat from last week (though there was no one sitting directly next to us). Downside: the bathroom is in the Rose and Sons building, which is only accessible by walking outside between the two structures.
Karolina: Ambiance done well can add a lot to a restaurant, and walking into Big Crow was tantamount to being transported away from the Annex and into a rustic eatery up north. The mess hall tables, cowhide seat coverings, and casually strewn blankets were complemented by the easily discernible, yet not overwhelming, smell of the BBQ, all of which coalesced to form a wintery take on a down-home backyard cookout. I’ve been told that the roof covering is rolled back in the summer to allow for al fresco dining, but I quite liked the cozy feel of the winter set up. Lit by candles and warmed by a fire burning at the back of the restaurant, entering Big Crow was the perfect warm embrace on a cold November morning.
Kate: Wow, I feel like I’m back there; you should write for a tourist magazine. Speaking of tourism – Big Crow actually really reminded me of the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg. If you’ve never been (99% of you?), it is an outdoor festival held for two weeks in February (when it is -40 degrees outside) where we eat traditional French food, drink Caribou (mulled wine with brandy), and listen to great music. It is all located in similar cozy tents and is pretty awesome. Check it out!
Karolina: MULLED WINE AND BRANDY?! My dream come true. I’m sold; just booked my flight to Winnipeg for winter reading week.
Coffee
Kate: They do “cowboy coffee” here, meaning you will find grounds in the bottom of your cup. It is by far the best coffee that I have had at brunch yet – strong and delicious – but there is a downside: they charge you by the cup ($3 each – a bit outrageous), so I had to stop after two.
Karolina: Kate, your attempts to explain the process by which cowboy coffee is made were to no avail, so I Googled it. As far as I can tell, this consists of adding coarse grounds to a can (or pot, if you’re not camping) of boiling water, and once the coffee is “brewed,” spinning the can so that the grounds settle at the bottom, which sounds incredibly fun and extraordinarily dangerous. I suppose it makes sense, given their method of preparation, that they would have to charge by the cup, but it’s still kind of a faux pas, in my opinion. Or maybe I’m just taking the sour grapes approach, since it’s so delicious I could easily drink four cups in one sitting.
LLBO licensed
Kate: They do serve alcohol, but a cocktail will cost you at least $11, and a pitcher for the table is nearly $40. I was definitely feeling too broke to order one, but apparently they put bacon in their Caesars, which sounds like it might be delicious, but possibly really disgusting…
Karolina: Nothing to report on this front, since I didn’t order any drinks. Next time.
The Food
Kate: A few people have questioned the fact that I seem to always get the “standard breakfast” at these brunch places; my response is that, if they can’t do the basics right, they cannot possibly be the best brunch spot in Toronto. That being said, I got Big Crow’s version of the standard breakfast, and it was great: two big pieces of thickly-cut barbequed bacon, three fried eggs, a piece of bread that was grilled on the barbeque, and a grilled potato with blue cheese ranch and green onions.
I wasn’t into the potato, but I think this is more of a subjective opinion – I don’t really like ranch, and the blue cheese was a bit much in the morning; however, objectively, I think it was done well. The grilled bread was delicious and the eggs were eggs, but the real highlight was the bacon – I am so happy I am no longer a vegetarian and was able to enjoy it. In all seriousness, the bacon at Big Crow was like the best I’ve ever had; no matter what you get, order a side of bacon. You won’t regret it.
Karolina: I ordered the coal baked brie, which arrived with the tinfoil peeled back to reveal a perfectly warmed and generous helping of the cheese, accompanied by rapini slathered in a delicious sweet chilli and garlic glaze and two massive, toasted slices of ciabatta bread, doused in olive oil. Apparently Rose and Son’s greasy spoon-esque cooking methods are not lost on its little sister.
Though sinful, the food was delicious. The chilli rapini had a bit of a kick without being too spicy for the early hour. My love affair with carbohydrates was well attended to. Warm, freshly toasted bread, crispy, but still soft in places, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Add some quality olive oil and it just might’ve carried the meal on its own. Luckily, there were no weak spots to compensate for.
My only complaint is that the rapini, though not undercooked to my taste, was tough and the dull knives just couldn’t cut through it. But I suppose no one’s all that concerned with etiquette at Big Crow, which the owner has described as “less than casual,” so I gave up and chowed down on the rapini with reckless abandon.
Kate: Your description of the bread and olive oil reminds me of that time we went on a bike tour in Chianti, Italy while on exchange, and all we ate was bread dipped in locally made olive oil – amazing.
It is also noteworthy that Big Crow has a brunch dessert menu; it sounded delicious, but considering that I think I only ate half my meal, I just couldn’t hack it.
Karolina: And as Karolina sat in her darkened room, illuminated by a single ray of light emanating from her desk lamp, dressed in the same sweatpants she had worn for the last 24 hours, subsisting solely on canned soup of questionable provenance, nearly suffocating beneath the pile of class notes, textbooks, and highlighters that surrounded her, she wept for the days she spent in Italy, drinking wine and cycling through Tuscany. Thanks, Kate.
Cost:
Kate’s meal: Breakfast ($15) + 2 cups of coffee ($6) = $21 + tax and tip.
Karolina’s meal: Breakfast ($14) + coffee ($3) = $17 + tax and tip.
Final thoughts
Kate: Despite the outrageous beverage prices, I would definitely go back; amazing food, great service, snug atmosphere (and a patio in the summer!) – this was the best overall experience I’ve had in Toronto yet. Go ASAP before it becomes too popular and you’re forced to wait outside for an hour in order to get a table!
Karolina: This is one of the most unique restaurants I’ve been to in a while. It’s so versatile. Before we had even left, I was already thinking about all of the different people I wanted to return with. Big Crow would be the perfect forum for both a romantic date night or a lazy lunch with friends. Its fun, but not too pretentious or hip; this is the kind of place my parents and I could both genuinely enjoy (thereby allowing me to avoid caving to their middle-aged sensibilities and inevitably ending up at some kind of steakhouse or Italian restaurant). Oh, and the food is stupidly good.
Kate: Though Karolina clearly enjoyed the restaurant as a vegetarian, I honestly think that without eating the meat, you would be missing out on a huge part of the experience – the smell alone is enough to turn you into a carnivore.
Karolina: I also feel compelled to note the depressing factoid that while writing this review, each time I reference the restaurant’s name, without fail, the words I type at first instance are Big Crown. Oh that my brain should be so over-saturated with law. On the bright side, that’s an awesome name for a law-themed bar, if I ever heard of one. Listen to me, law-themed bar. Time to cry now.
Kate: #It’sAlmostOver
| SERVICE | 4.5/5 Dean Sossins |
| ATMOSPHERE | 5/5 Dean Sossins |
| FOOD | 4.5/5 Dean Sossins |
| OVERALL | 4.5/5 Dean Sossins |