Posted by Sheryl Kirby in brunch, restaurant review on June 12, 2007 at 8:46 pm

Tinto
89 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-530-5885
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and iced tea (no dessert): $43

The middle of Little Poland seems an odd place to get a dose of South America, but that’s one of the delights of living in Toronto – the multicultural mix. Tinto coffeehouse (tinto being Colombian slang for a cup of coffee) spreads vibrantly over a multi-level space that was once a swank Polish restaurant and most recently a yoga studio.

We arrive on a humid Sunday afternoon and find the café to be even warmer than the air outside. Our server directs us up to the gallery level where the air circulation is better and immediately brings us pint glasses of ice water as we fan ourselves with menus. A glass of face-puckeringly delicious limeade ($2.50), also served in a 20oz pint glass, is the perfect antidote to my overheated engine. Iced tea ($2) is equally as large and is served unsweetened.

Once we’re re-hydrated, we peruse the compact menu of salads, wraps and breakfast items and opt for some of each. While we wait for our food to arrive, we find out more about the idea behind Tinto.

Owners Elvia Saenz and Ricardo Rozental have opted to make their café as eco-friendly and ethical as possible, sourcing as many fair trade, organic and/or local ingredients as they can. Breads are from St. John’s Bakery, coffee from Birds and Bees, meat and poultry from Fresh From the Farm, dairy products from Harmony Organic.

As well, they have made Tinto a true part of the community with a small gallery area, film screenings and other special events. Tinto is taking part in the Taste for Justice dining campaign to raise funds for Amnesty International by creating special menu items for the event.

The food arrives and we are surprised at the quantity. The Brunch a la Mañana ($13.50) is two hearty sausages, cheese, fruit, and the Mañaitas wrap ($7.95 on its own) full of eggs, beans and cheese. Oh, and a toasted English muffin with cream cheese and jam. All are tasty, but the English muffin is a bit superfluous when paired with the beans, cheese, eggs and sausage. It’s too much food.

Just right is my Burro Chiquita ($6.50) paired with a Guajira salad ($8.50). The smaller wrap full of mashed sweet potato, black beans and cheddar is delicious and satisfying. I spent the previous day in Little India buying mangoes, so I am vaguely annoyed by the hard, slightly woody slices of what appears to be a Tommy Atkins mango (that’s the tough hard varietal you see most often in supermarkets) in my salad. Organic or not, it’s no Alphanso. Mango quality aside, the salad is prettily arranged and is full of avocado, cucumbers, greens, sunflower seeds for a crunchy texture and a sweet honey-orange vinaigrette.

The customer next to us is served the Cuenca salad ($10.75) shortly after our food arrives and the combination of roasted and pickled beets with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and olives is beautiful and momentarily makes me wish I had ordered that instead.

Although the English muffin pushes us over the edge with no room for dessert (I know! I can’t believe it either!), Tinto offers a selection of muffins, brownies, and banana-apple loaf all made on-site (all $2 each) as well as vegan, gluten-free organic chocolate cake ($5.50), organic, gluten-free carrot cake ($5.50), cookies and date squares ($2) each. They also have a variety of cookies from St. John’s Bakery ($0.75) not to mention the famous St. John’s Bakery apple cranberry pie ($3.50).

The one thing we didn’t have at this comfortable, welcoming coffeehouse is the coffee, but we are told it’s quite delicious. They also offer beer from local brewery Mill Street, and Chilean and Argentinian wine, but adamantly – no soda pop, stating on their menu that human rights issues, environmental issues and nutrition issues advise them not to. This probably makes the local moms who frequent the place with their kids very happy, but I’m pretty sure there are eco-friendly, organic sodas available somewhere.

Since opening last year, Tinto has very quickly become a part of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Their inclusive approach as well as their conscientious purchasing philosophies make for an inviting and interesting place to hang out – whether it’s for breakfast, a film screening, a political discussion or just a coffee. It also doesn’t hurt that the service is friendly, and the food is tasty, healthy and filling, not to mention ethical.