Mid-town Toronto is more than just Yonge and Eglinton. Just one block south is one of the busiest business intersections in this part of town. Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue is home to an assortment of people from business people to creative types and street peddlers. Standard Broadcasting Corporation (CFRB, Mix 99.9, EZ Rock) makes its home at the northwest intersection, and CHUM is just a short walk south. There are also government offices on the west and east side of Yonge, confusing many poor souls looking for one office only to end up in the other. The wild variety of people and businesses is easily reflected by the types of great cuisine available in the area.

Ah, yes, the cuisine. Let’s start on St. Clair, on the west side of Yonge. Located here is Sprout (15 St Clair Avenue West), a very small, cash-only Asian restaurant which serves great summer rolls and a spicy soup called Oh My Goodness soup, which is guaranteed to warm any stomach on a cold winter day. This side of St. Clair is also home to a Hero Burger/Lettieri (21 St. Clair West) franchise, which serves the best vegetarian burger in the whole area. They also have fresh fruit juice concoctions which claim to boost overall health and energy. For breakfast or a snack there’s Michel’s Baguette (2 St. Clair Avenue West), though it might be a little pricey.

For some reason, the bars at Yonge and St. Clair seemed to have congregated on the west side. They are: Sports Centre Café (49 St Clair West), Scallywags (11 St. Clair Avenue West), and Fionn McCool’s (21 St. Clair West), all great places to relax with a pint after a long weekday. Sports Centre Café has a patio for those interested in people watching. Fionn’s has a darker tone, though they’ve recently remedied their lack of sun by literally opening their front windows to let the summer sunshine in. Scallywags features three floors for those looking to get rooftop sun.

South of St. Clair on Yonge seems to have most of the food action. There’s a Select Sandwich (1 St. Clair Avenue East) hidden away underground at the southeast corner. Next is Mint (1450 Yonge Street), a Thai Pan-Asian restaurant, and a place with service so bad I’ve resolved never to eat there again. Not so with Citron (1404 Yonge Street), with its fresh, colourful ingredients which complement its speedy service. Newcomer Jaadu (1415 Yonge Street) focuses on Indian cuisine, trying to out-do Rangoli (1392 Yonge Street), which offers a $10 all-you-can eat special and great Butter Chicken. There are also a couple of Mediterranean restaurants here: Emmanuel Mediterranean Food (1406 Yonge Street) and Mediterranean Gardens (1440 Yonge Street), both good choices though Emmanuel has a more open atmosphere and spicier food.

Italian cuisine is well-represented in the southern area of Yonge and St. Clair with Jingles Too, Cafe Spiga, and Boccone Deli & Pizza (all three at 1378 Yonge Street). They are joined by Terroni Restaurant (1 Balmoral Avenue), Capocaccia Café (1366 Yonge Street), and Passione Italiana Ristorante (1423 Yonge Street). An Atkins diet would suffer here especially since most of the selection is top notch, though the breads and sandwiches can get a little stale if not eaten as soon as served. In other words, eat the food right at the restaurant, not at the office or at home. For meat, the only real choice is Senior’s Steak House (1397 Yonge Street), with a $10(!) daily steak served with fries/baked potato and bread. And if the three bars on the west side were not enough, the south side has Jester Pub and Grill (1427 Yonge Street), with traditional pub fare.

The east side of Yonge on St. Clair has the markets: Sobeys (81 St. Clair Avenue East) and the St. Clair Market (12 St. Clair Avenue East). It also has the fast food, with McDonalds (11 St. Clair Avenue East), Druxy’s (2 St. Clair Avenue East) and Wendy’s (2 St. Clair Avenue East) leading that food group, along with the other restaurants underground at the St. Clair Centre. A little walk east on the north side of the street is Second Cup (12 St. Clair Avenue East), and a little past that, near Sobeys, is Simply Thai (81 St. Clair Avenue East), a simple (forgive me) and small restaurant where a plate can overflow with two delicious entrees for the price of one.

Lastly, we head north of St. Clair on Yonge. This area has Didier (1496 Yonge Street), classic French cuisine and with prices to match (the Soup du Jour is $10). It’s great food and it matches the upscale neighbourhood well. There is also Il Fornello (1560 Yonge Street), which recently added a card of dishes made with local ingredients to its menu. New to the area is Lettuce (1560 Yonge Street), a salad bar. Circle Thai (1521 Yonge Street) is across the street offering traditional Thai food, and a little way away is Fox and Fiddle (1535 Yonge Street), another bar/restaurant. There is also a Subway (1506 Yonge Street), which can be another healthy choice.

For healthier Asian food, I recommend sushi, either Takara Sushi (1502 Yonge Street) or Sushi Garden (1560 Yonge Street). Sushi Garden tends to be less crowded, more expensive and fresher. Lastly, for caffeine fiends, there is a Tim Hortons (1521 Yonge Street) and a Starbucks (1495 Yonge Street, and 5 Rosehill Avenue). There are two Starbucks in fact, one just a short walk away from the other.

Most people find Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue a dull place. Afterall, there is very little to do here in the night time, which does not convey the busy day-life of the area. During every work day at Yonge and St. Clair there is always a crowd working, walking, talking, or simply enjoying life, and what else is life but good food?