We all have a favorite meal – one that makes intermittent appearances in our dreams and which we turn to as a source of strength in our darkest moments – and Aux Vivires’ weekend-only organic waffles with cashew cream, apple berry sauce, and organic maple syrup is mine. Today was my last chance to dive into this delectable dish before heading back to Toronto. But since making sacrifices is a part of any healthy relationship and Karim can’t just “quit” his standard American diet (SAD) cold turkey (excuse the pun), when we discovered Omnivore Comptoir-Grill – an adorable little Lebanese restaurant in the Plateau (at the corner of St. Laurent and Marie Anne) – I wasn’t averse to the idea of giving it a go instead.
How fitting that we were “meeting halfway” at a place called Omnivore – a term referring to species that eat both plants (me) and animals (pre-me, K was a major meataterian) as their primary food source. Upon further investigation (thanks Wikipedia) I learnt that “although the term omnivore literally means eater of everything, omnivores can only eat things that are at least moderately easy to get and still at least moderately nutritious.” That analogy works – easy to get (local?!) and at least moderately nutritious (somewhere between greasy, ethically dubious fast food meat and excessively overpriced, 5 time fair trade certified raw tofu) suits both our needs.
Turns out, compromising wasn’t so bad after all. The food was fantastic! Not only that, but the price was right too. We each had grilled cigarette-type pita-wrapped sandwiches: I had the KHODRA made of vegé pâté /tofu, pesto, babaganouj, and red cabbage ($5) and the boy scarfed down the DJAJ -taouk chicken, garlic sauce, turnips, and pickles ($6). He also got us hummus, taboule, and bemie (an okra dish pronounced “be-m-ye” in Arabic). To drink, I had a thirst-quenching glass of freshly squeezed lemonade with mint leaves and he had a Pepsi (note: I only allowed him this junky indulgence as a show of my new and improved, slightly more laissez-faire attitude).
While happily brunching opposite my habibi, listening to the wise, soulful sounds of Lauryn Hill and surrounded by large, quirky oil painting portraits, reclaimed exposed wood beams, and mismatched handmade pottery lighting fixtures, I couldn’t help but wonder: “Would our Aux Vivres experience, with our couple only half happy, have been as satisfying?”
http://www.omnigrill.com/en/en.html
