baguettes and butterscotch: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. GREENJEANS!

Friday, 31 August 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. GREENJEANS!

Memories are a powerful reminder of how things used to be. They can help enhance and reinforce good times in one’s past. When I was a kid, just old enough to go out on my own trips of discovery in Toronto. I discovered Mr. Greenjeans at the Eaton Centre and had many a good time with friends having burgers, shakes and all sort of homey goodness. Time has passed and many things have changed since those days but Mr. Greenjeans is still a great reminder of how things use to be. As part of their 32^nd Birthday Celebration I was asked to come and rediscover and take a walk down memory lane and have a nice meal at one of Toronto’s most nostalgic favourites.

I hadn’t visited in a quite a long time but Mr. Greenjeans looks haven’t changed much from my fond memories. We got the choice to sit in the atrium portion of the restaurant which was lovely and airy. Our server was very pleasant and very friendly. Just like how I remembered it to be…the music playing retro hits was a great way to spark conversations amongst my friends and I. Many times it felt as if I were back in high school again…that was a great fun. Got all of us harking for the good ole days.

Taking the advice of our server and our personal cravings we ordered a variety of favourites and classic menu items. Everything from Crab Cakes, Wings and Calamari to start were on order…I think everybody loves calamari…well at least we do! We also ordered a variety of drinks ranging from a really well done Spicy Caesar, Peach Pit, Blue Gummy Bear Martini to a Classic Vanilla Float….oh yes!

The drinks and starters came promptly and we were happy with everything. To be honest, this is not fine dining but it isn't reasonable to expect that level of cuisine. The stand out was the Wings and Calamari which were done well and the portion sizes where as we had remembered…on the large side, which was great because we were hungry!

We had some time in between courses to look at the menu and talk about our past experiences at Mr. Greenjeans…the common theme that kept on coming up was how fun the place used to be and still is. The food was always known for its generous portions and diner classics like burgers, shakes and wings. These where good then and I am happy to report that they are still good to this day.

We ordered a few mains including their Perfection Burger and their stuffed Chicken Supreme and a Spinach salad to give some semblance of a healthy meal…please note that the salad was served with a warm BACON dressing. The fact that I could order the burger my way was a very nice touch…I believe that more restaurants should take colours on their burgers. I ordered mines with a smile hoping for a nice medium done burger…happily, it came just that way. Impressive.

Did we have enough space for dessert? At first it was like…I can’t eat anymore….but the server tempted us with a few that were delish and lovely. We ordered a classic Crème Brulee with fresh strawberries and a Monsterous Choco-Fudge-Brownie dessert that was beyond our expectations. It wasn’t on the regular menu but on their special Birthday Menu…I firmly believe that this could and should replace their current offering of chocolate on their full menu. That’s my 2cents. Anyways, it was very nice way to end the meal.

Memories have a powerful influence over people, that being said, Mr. Greenjeans is one of those establishments that draws on those feelings of the past, happy thoughts and childhood experiences and does it well. To be realistic the food was pretty average, but I can say that we enjoyed our visit, it was really nice taking a trip down memory lane.