food twice eaten

Grand Electric Bar
1330 Queen Street West

We may have found a new favourite restaurant, but we are quite sad to be so certain it won’t be a frequent spot as each visit would entail a long commute and a possibly longer wait. This little Parkdale Mexican bar/restaurant happened to be our choice place earlier this month to celebrate FTE’s 2nd anniversary with David and Francis!

There had been so much hype around Grand Electric, we just had to go. We prepared ourselves for a ridiculously long (1.5-2 hour) wait as well as for disappointment that it would end up being, as one Urbanspoon reviewer called, a typical hipster joint. Hipster joint? With string lights and Dr. Octagon music, it’s debatable, but who cares, really. (The definition of hipster is so subjective, too, but that’s not what I’m here to write about.) Disappointing? Well, you can guess already from my opening line — not in the least!

Tacos were small but full of flavour at 3.50$ a piece. We tried the Beef Cheek, the Spicy Arbol Chicken, the Fried Queso Poblano, and the much talked about Baja Fish Tacos. Merky and I each had a queso taco, which was good as a vegetarian option, but we love our meat, preferring the chicken and beef over the cheese. But, unanimous among the four of us, fish over meat over cheese. We understand all the rave around these fish tacos now.

Merky and I rarely walk into a Mexican restaurant without ordering guacamole and chips (8$). We gotta pretty excited when it arrived at our table, the guac topped with a single, gigantic chicharrón (fried pork rind). The guacamole wasn’t the freshest we’ve had (award to freshest goes to El Trompo) and the chips, though made in-house, didn’t seem to stay crisp. Perhaps, we waited a little too long to eat the guac and chips — in fact, we never finished them. Still, this was hardly a setback in what was already an amazing dining experience beginning with the tacos.

We were already somewhat full from the chips and 2-3 tacos each, but, as they say, there’s always room for dessert. David ordered the chocolate and pecans (5$), of which Merky and I only had a couple of spoons. Essentially, the mini mason jar dessert consisted of a hardly visible layer of creme fraiche, mostly chocolate, topped with pecans. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) Simple yet unbelievably satisfying. He couldn’t resist having another.

Merky and I shared the churros. They came hot and crispy, filled with caramel, and two (also) in a tiny mason jar (6$). I’m not even a fan of caramel, but this—these sticks of fried dough made me reconsider. Something about the caramel just oozing out and dripping onto the table made these pastries all the more irresistible, so we ordered another.

While David, Merky, and I ate our dessert, Francis had another fish taco. Yep, our friend who’s very conscious of both health and money ordered seconds. And what’s a celebration without drinks! Merky and I had margaritas (8$ each). Ghetto tequila, lime juice, some sort of liqueur — the actual ingredients are lost on me — in a salt-rimmed glass. They were our first true margaritas. They were good.

I forgot to mention that, though we were expecting over an hour’s wait, Grand Electric called us back within 45 minutes. For some people (like me), any wait is a long wait, but I am glad that we stuck it out and hung around Parkdale long enough to get seated. If “new favourite restaurant” hasn’t sold you yet, give this little bar/restaurant a try to understand its popularity. Please don’t let the probably long wait or the possible hipster vibe — or the size of the tacos or the prices — influence your impression on the quality food.

Here’s to two years! And here’s to celebrating right!

We just wanted to thank our followers, new and old, for never forgetting us, especially during our blog draughts — and for reading my ridiculous long posts like this one. Keep reading. And I also want to quickly thank Merky for keeping this blog going when I’m busy or plainly slacking off. Thank you.

<3 T