The Freshwood Grill
293 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-537-1882
lunch for two with beverages, taxes and tip: $40
It had been a long time since I ventured into the Freshwood Grill. Just about a year and a half, as a matter of fact, after having one of the most disastrous and disgusting restaurant meals I’d ever eaten – the Coles Notes version for those not inclined to read the whole linked post: rancid-tasting fries, tasteless Mac and cheese, downright surly service (from a manager!) and a dimwitted server who had issues with bringing us water.
When my friend and fellow TasteTO writer Melissa mentioned wanting to try the place, I cringed, and not just inwardly. But working under Vogue food writer Jeffrey Steingarten’s theory that you have to try something ten times before you can conclusively say you dislike it, I figured I’d give it another go. After all, it couldn’t possibly have been as bad as last time.
The place still had too many tables crammed too close together, and still reeked vaguely of wood smoke. I know this is their schtick, with the “fresh wood” grill and all, but get a ventilation system, folks. If I leave your restaurant smelling like other people’s dinner, that’s not a good thing.
Figuring I’d give the fries another chance (the last time I had eaten here, the fries tasted like rancid grease), I ordered the cajun catfish wrap with salad ($11), asking for half fries, half salad instead. That dinged an extra $2 onto the bill, as the Freshwood is one of the many Toronto restaurants who engage in the sleazy practice of charging extra for a “half and half”. On the menu this charge gets described as “for two add 2”, but you don’t get a double quantity – it’s not one of those great super-size kind of deals where you can get an extra side at a reduced price. No, they’re charging you for the supposed inconvenience of having to cook a half portion of fries and plate up a half portion of salad greens.
Melissa ordered the portobello pizza ($10), a coffee and a glass of water. Now water is considered one of Canada’s most valuable commodities, but that’s no reason not to bring a round of water to the table. This should be done anyway, not just when a patron orders water, but at the Freshwood, as was the case during my previous experience here, you almost have to fight for it.
The cajun catfish sandwich arrived with non-rancid fries and a small green salad tossed in a sesame dressing. The salad is one of the few things I can say I really like at the Freshwood, but in conjunction with the cajun spices on the wrap, it really didn’t match well. The sandwich itself was just alright, and while I know that the Freshwood likes to do wraps to hilight their in-house flatbreads, the things are damned messy.
Here’s what Melissa had to say about her pizza:
When it arrived, the pizza was room temperature and a disappointing ten inches. I like my pizza crust thin, but this was much too thin and very dry. It was like compressed saltine crackers. The dryness of the crust could have been acceptable if there had been more toppings on the pizza, but it had been brushed lightly with a garlic sauce, and had no tomato sauce or mozzarella. However, the goat cheese was tasty and plentiful, and the caramelized onions were fine. The portabella mushrooms were good, but there could have been more of them. The pizza had a scant sprinkling of grated, unmelted Parmesan cheese on top that didn't add much to the taste or texture. When I order personal pizzas at this price point, I frequently take some of it home, or if I eat the whole thing I'm very full. This left me unsatisfied, and I'm still craving a decent pizza.
As we were settling up our bill, two women sat down beside us and the waitress brought them menus. She also rattled off some “of the day” specials and handed them a separate list of menu specials. Hmmm… we didn’t get those.
When the bill arrived, the total came to $30.21, and I paid with one of those hated fifties my bank machine always spits at me. Expecting some variation of $15 in bills and the rest in coins, we were amused (but not in a good way) to discover that our waitress had brought us back $20 in change, thoughtfully broken down into a ten and two fives, presumably to score herself a $5 tip. She might have gotten a fiver had she brought the correct change (which would automatically have included the $5 bill), but that sneaky little trick left both Melissa and I quite annoyed.
So while I commend Steingarten on his “try it ten times” theory, I really don’t want to waste any more time or money at the Freshwood Grill. I've been there enough times to know that I don't care for anything about the place. I know the locals adore it, but each time I’ve been there I’ve gotten nothing but bad food and bad service.
