FLYING BEAVER (488 Parliament, at Carlton, 647-347-6567, pubaret.com) Complete brunches from $25 per person, including tax, tip and a pint. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 11 am to 2 am. Dinner Thursday 4 pm to 1 am, Friday and Saturday 4 pm to 2 am. Closed Monday, Tuesday. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Cabbagetown has always liked its dykes, whether at the legendary and sadly defunct Rose Café or the also now-shuttered Big Mamma’s Boy on Parliament.
Two years ago, Mamma’s big mamma, Heather Mackenzie, picked up stakes and relocated to the Flying Beaver. The one-time neighbourhood dive now bills itself as a “pubaret” – part pub, part cabaret. Comic and business partner Maggie Cassella books the acts, everything from aspiring amateurs to old pros like Nancy White and Scott Thompson.
Squeezing into the last table on the Beaver’s sheltered backyard terrace, we’re soon knocking back $2 champagne Morning Glories in the lazy morning sun.
We start with ex-Twisted Kilt chef Andrew Gopan’s anchovy-challenged Caesar salad ($7.95), which greatly benefits from a last-minute squeeze of lemon and a generous grating of Parmesan, before moving on to his veggie burger ($11.95 with fries or salad). Maybe it’s the grilled Lick’s soya patty or the toasted sesame seed bun, but it tastes damn close to the real thing.
Those with a serious hangover should head directly to the Beaver Dam Scrambler ($14.95), a humongous meal-in-one bowl thick with baked scrambled egg, meaty rashers of bacon, plump farmer’s sausage and a whack of both cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Polish off this baby and you won’t have to eat again until tomorrow.
