[REVIEW] Vesta Lunch
Aug. 5th, 2005 02:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldI turned up early for my weekly session of RPGing and I was hungry, so I decided to dine at Vesta Lunch (474 Dupont Street). ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bitterlawngnome and danthered had pointed out this traditional diner several months ago en route to Stouffville, and I was always curious about diner culture, the Island's sole examples seemingly having disappeared by the time I became an adult.
Inside, I was pleased to see that it looked the part, all chrome countertops and swiveel stools and fogged-over display cases. I ordered a deluxe hamburger, including coleslaw and fries. The hamburger was decent enough, grilled and put on a nuked bun with toppings, but there was no vinegar for Upper Canadian-style fries. As I chewed, I looked around at the decor. Alongside the Greek-language tourist posters put up by the owner, I saw magazine covers, photocopies and others, pasted on the walls: A Toronto Life cover from 1999, a Saturday Star picture of a Chinese ballerina leaping in front of the window from 2000, the front page of a National Post Toronto section from 2001, others. Curiously, many of these pictures were taken at night, likely in conscious recall of Edward Hopper's 1942 painting Nighthawks.
I recommend Vesta Lunch for what it is, a good diner with plenty of atmosphere, something that has progressed beyond a contemporary reality to an active cultural artifact. And yes, the food's good, too.
bitterlawngnome and danthered had pointed out this traditional diner several months ago en route to Stouffville, and I was always curious about diner culture, the Island's sole examples seemingly having disappeared by the time I became an adult.Inside, I was pleased to see that it looked the part, all chrome countertops and swiveel stools and fogged-over display cases. I ordered a deluxe hamburger, including coleslaw and fries. The hamburger was decent enough, grilled and put on a nuked bun with toppings, but there was no vinegar for Upper Canadian-style fries. As I chewed, I looked around at the decor. Alongside the Greek-language tourist posters put up by the owner, I saw magazine covers, photocopies and others, pasted on the walls: A Toronto Life cover from 1999, a Saturday Star picture of a Chinese ballerina leaping in front of the window from 2000, the front page of a National Post Toronto section from 2001, others. Curiously, many of these pictures were taken at night, likely in conscious recall of Edward Hopper's 1942 painting Nighthawks.
I recommend Vesta Lunch for what it is, a good diner with plenty of atmosphere, something that has progressed beyond a contemporary reality to an active cultural artifact. And yes, the food's good, too.
