Gaga for Grocery

I wish I worked downtown! I mean, I don’t think I can live there (unless I were single), but to be in the area 5 times a week would be great. Especially if I could pass by Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens all the time! This has got to be the best grocery I have ever seen or should I say, experienced. Let’s not talk about going downtown or finding parking downtown. I would like to skip to the part where I come up the escalators from the basement parking. What a sight! The grocery is huge at 85,000 square feet! It is a wonderful renovation of a heritage building that was once a hockey arena. While I had not seen this building prior to the renovation, I would say that the building is charming—a beautiful mix of old and trendy.

I know it is hard to believe that I am fawning over a grocery store, but it was truly a feast for the senses.  The first thing that caught my eye was the Patisserie section. Apart from the 12-foot wall of cupcakes, there were rows and rows of cupcakes, macarons, doughnuts, cakes and other goodies. A baker was cutting fresh strawberries for the cheesecake while I was going around.  Then I saw the big block of chocolate, but I wasn’t quite sure if this was the same 250-pound chocolate they had brought in on opening day 5 months ago (which apparently required a mechanical lift to drop into place!). You can buy this chocolate by the chunk, which they chisel off. I had to stop myself from buying anything at that moment, as I had not yet seen everything! And I had to remember not to shop while hungry.

Then, there was the wall of cheese--an 18 foot glass fridge full of cheese. A cheese lover’s paradise! A huge section of freshly baked artisan bread flanked this wall. It smelled heavenly. To the side, there was another section (Salume) with a full wall (yes, another wall) of aged meat. So, you can get your prosciutto, cheese and baguette in the dining area where you can either eat or simply admire the walls of food. Ahhh…

There were also a Tea Emporium, a sushi area, and a section that offered a variety of prepared food. As it was almost lunchtime, I decided to have a Salmon fish cake and chili. The food was freshly made from the huge kitchen up on the loft overlooking the bakery. The fish cake was crunchy on the outside and the flaky salmon was nicely seasoned inside. The chili was ok.  I actually wolfed it down because I couldn’t wait to go to the Patisserie for some dessert! I eventually got a Strawberry macaron for myself and some cupcakes to take home for the girls. The macaron was just ok and could have used a little more “puff” and cream.

As well, this grocery has a pharmacy, a walk-in clinic and an LCBO--a super store, indeed!  I wasn’t able to do a lot of shopping as there was no more time. Surely, the next visit will be longer and I can explore more of this wonderful “theatre of food.” Besides, I have yet to go to the 8,500 sq ft Joe clothing section on the 2^nd floor! Can’t wait to go back! In the meantime, we will enjoy the cupcakes that I got—bubble gum, cherry, peanut butter and red velvet. Yum!