Introducing: Starving Artist, the gourmet waffle house’s new St. Clair West location

Introducing: Starving Artist, the gourmet waffle house’s new St. Clair West location

Introducing: Starving Artist, the gourmet waffle house’s new St. Clair West location

Name: Starving Artist
Neighbourhood: Corso Italia
Contact Info: 1078 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-901-7079, starvingartistbar.com
Owner and chef: Bryan Jackson, owner of the original Starving Artist on Lansdowne Avenue. He also owns Kitch, the casual lounge at Dupont and Dufferin

The Food: “Everything is made of waffles, on waffles, between waffles or made in a waffle iron,” warns the restaurant’s menu in extra-large type. A handful of dishes are unique to the new location, including “waffle bacon”—i.e. strips of bacon baked into golden waffle fingers—and a fried-egg brunchwich sandwiched between two mini waffles. For dessert, the Split-This brings a waffle-encased banana topped with ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries.  

The Drinks:  Smoothies, milkshakes and a seasonal selection of hair-of-the-dog cocktails, like spicy caesars and something called the French Canadian Breakfast: a blend of maple whiskey, espresso, milk and salted caramel.

The Place: Warholesque waffle art decorates the white-walled room, which used to occupy a Laundromat and a next-door travel agent. Brick arches mark the divide between the two spaces, one of which now houses the sit-down dining room, the other a grab-and-go coffee counter outfitted with comfy leather armchairs.

The Numbers:
• 7,200 eggs cracked per month
• 1900 square feet
• 230 gallons of waffle batter per month
• 60 seats inside, double the capacity of the original location
• 36-seat patio to open in May
• 29 waffle options
• 27 litres of maple syrup consumed per week
• 10 waffle paintings created by owner Bryan Jackson
• 6 laptop stations
• 5 months to renovate the space
• 5 years since the original Starving Artist opened on Lansdowne Avenue