Corey Mintz to Toronto’s Guu fans: chill out
Corey Mintz thinks Torontonians need to get a grip—at least on our obsession with Guu, the city’s offshoot of the Vancouver-based izakaya chain that has everyone from Ryerson students to West Coast defectees lining up for hours to get a seat.
Although the Toronto Star food writer is a fan of Guu’s Japanese pub grub (fried, salty fare that’s perfect with beer), he laments that we have not been “cool” about Guu’s arrival. “We have lined up, kvetch-blogged and snapped iPhone pictures, capturing all the lustre of Nick Nolte’s mug shot… In short, we have spazzed out over Guu.”
Pointing to comments on this blog by one unhappy customer who, after being forced out by management for not adhering to Guu’s strict two-hour seating policy, got into a fight with another customer, Mintz writes, “Japanese people should be laughing at us. Imagine queuing for hours and punting a stranger in the schnutz because a Finn McCool’s opened in Tokyo.”
While we hope Mintz isn’t suggesting Toronto’s best pub export is Finn McCool’s, we think the problem with Guu isn’t so much our lack of cool but rather a lack of supply. Maybe if more watering holes in Toronto offered delicious salmon natto yukke and reasonably priced Sapporo (instead of bland shepherd’s pie and overpriced Guinness), we wouldn’t all be jamming Guu’s door.
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Does anyone really care what Corey Mintz thinks? I sure don’t.
Pretty rich coming from someone who worships at the alter of all things Black Hoof.
Guu is guuuuud but who is Corey Mintz?
I agree w/ Corey Mintz. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Guu (Vancouver locations) and have finally had the chance to check out the Guu in Toronto the other night. Guu was good but a few dishes were disappointing (tried 1/3 of the menu). Having said that, I think Guu’s hype is a bit overexaggerated esspecially if you waited over an hour to get in (my failed 1st attempt).
My final verdict of the place? I’ll go again if there is a free table or very little waiting is required. Otherwise, I think I’ll just head over to Ematai for my meal: much shorter wait time, comparable food and a better bang for your buck.
Corey, get a grip – who took a deuce in your Japanese corn flakes. Guu is fun, thats why we Torontonians are lining up for hours to eat tasty Japanese pub grub. And from what I’ve heard about Japan, they loose their *&^t over all things North American – why not return the gesture. Simply said, dude, relax.
Maybe Corey was upset that he spilled some hokkaido scallop sauce on his blue sweater? Blue sweaters aren’t easy to come by these days. I think Corey is just upset that he had to wait in line at Guu when he knows he can get a seat at the black hoof restaurants by just showing up any time of the day. IS this really news worthy?!?! can we just move on?!? Guu is great and the numbers prove it, everyone else that is complaining just wants a royal treatment everytime they dine out.
Love Guu but not the crowd. I recommend Fin on Eglinton and Yonge if you want good izakaya grub minus the line up and tight quarters.