I met an old friend for lunch at Paper Street. I was pretty excited to try the restaurant as it has been getting pretty good reviews. It was a bit of a walk from my office, so I was looking forward to a big feast. My first impression was that the restaurant was bright and airy with the front windows opened to the street with seating along them. However, the restaurant is very open and very loud. It was actually difficult to hold a conversation without having to speak very loud.
I struggled with what to order since I wanted to try everything! I decided on the Smothered Burrito with a side of Tater Tots and a side Caesar Salad. Yummm!
Smothered Burrito ($16) – Excellent flavor in the sauce – a subtle heat at the back of the throat with fresh and bright flavours. Since the burrito was grilled I expected dry and hard edges, but they were still nice and soft. However, there was too much rice and not enough pork or beans. They could at least add more beans since they’re cheap. I’d actually rather have a smaller burrito with less rice so the ration of pork and beans was better.
Caesar Salad ($7) – They use an oil based dressing rather than a cream based dressing, so when I first saw the salad I thought it would be another tangy let down. It was amazing. I can’t even explain the flavours because it was unlike any Caesar salad I’ve ever had before – the best I’ve ever had! There was lots of bacon, and lots of delicious flavor. It wasn’t too lemony or too saucy. My only comment is that the croutons are kind of lame – just plain dried bread. However, the salad really didn’t need any extra flavor from the croutons because it held its own, so maybe it’s ok this way.
Tater Tots (included with the burrito) – the pepper was a nice touch. The sauce was the same, if not similar to the one used on the burrito. Super wicked. I ate all the tater tots dipped in sauce and because I new the burrito would be much better as leftovers for lunch the next day and I wanted to eat all the sauce! With all the rice in the burrito the tater tots are definitely an overkill on carbs. Question – do restaurants make their own Tater Tots, or do they use store-bought Tater Tots just like you and I can buy? Hmmmm….
Poached Pear & Quinoa Salad ($12) – Crystal’s salad was huge. She asked for chicken but there was a miscommunication – she wanted to add the buttermilk fried chicken breast ($7) but instead got the pulled jerk chicken ($5). She said the chicken was good but not what she was expecting. She said the salad was great, but a little too saucy. The serving was huge – two people could share it, so it was good value.
All in all, I look forward to returning and trying many other items on the menu… but since the restaurant is pretty open and loud I think I’d rather do it on a Monday through Thursday for supper. Gosh, I’m old and lame… 😉
Comments